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Let’s Talk About Equitable Wellness

By Rubicon Author April 29, 2020

Written by: Jasmine Penney

I first want to start off by sending many good wishes to you and your families during this pandemic. Despite what is going on around us, let’s continue to look out for one another and build community.

April is National Minority Health Month. 

According to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, this month-long event was created as an “effort to raise awareness about health disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minority populations.” Although we are currently in a nationwide shelter-in-place due to COVID-19, there are still ways to advance this month’s theme of “Active & Healthy” and promote emotional and mental wellness right inside of our homes. In fact, the Office of Minority Health and the US Department of Health and Human Services provides information on different ways we can all participate in the #ActiveandHealthy campaign, while still adhering to social-distancing guidelines.

What causes health inequities?

Health inequity stems from root causes that I have organized into three clusters:

  1. Structural inequities that organize the distribution of power and resources differentially across lines of race, gender, class, sexual orientation, gender expression, and other dimensions of individual and group identity.
  2. The unequal allocation of power and resources—including goods, services, and societal attention—which results in unequal social, economic, and environmental conditions also referred to as the determinants of health.
  3. Unconscious bias in healthcare settings. Many non-medical factors influence medical decisions, including: a patient’s style of dress; race, ethnicity, or gender; insurance status;  and the clinical setting (i.e. what is perceived as “bad neighborhood” vs. “good neighborhood”). Evidence shows that medical conclusions can be based just as much on who a person is as on the symptoms they present. This is especially dangerous in healthcare, where decisions can mean life or death.

Faced with these challenging external factors, if people of color could get the time off to see a medical professional, many may choose to ignore or hide symptoms in order to protect their physiological safety. They are then left with the long-term cumulative effects of structural inequity and not seeking help. 

So, if someone needs help, where are they supposed to go? Who are they supposed to trust? This is where Rubicon can be a positive social connection.

Wellness is a vital piece of Rubicon’s culture and program model. Rubicon works on interventions targeting root causes because we know those interventions hold the greatest promise for advancing health equity.  Additionally, we know that each of us is our own best advocate, and that together we can advance equitable community wellness.

I plan to continue sharing wellness information with our community, even beyond National Minority Health Month to help keep us all connected, healthy, and resilient during this pandemic, and beyond. I invite you to learn more about the #ActiveandHealthy campaign, so we can all be a part of the national change and learn about what we can do to battle inequities and support our health.

I look forward to hearing about how this information helps you in your day-to-day routine, and most importantly, learning and making strides as a community.  

To Your Wellness!

 

Next Up: Health, Healthcare, and Socioeconomic Barriers Related to COVID-19

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Virtual Job Fair—Now through April 30th

By Rubicon Admin April 22, 2020

Looking for employment? Rubicon Programs is hosting a Virtual Job Fair to connect candidates with job opportunities at participating employers.

Application Instructions: Interested parties need to apply here and upload a current resume by April 30th. Once complete, applicants will recieve a phone call to be screened for the positions they are interested in. All qualified applicants will receive a phone interview with an employer. 

For questions, please email virtualjobfair@rubiconprograms.org.

 

Apply Now!

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Rubicon Warm Line for Service Updates and Support with Service Access

By Ally March 26, 2020

Please click here for Service Updates for Contra Costa Workforce Collaborative (CCWC) WIOA Access Points   

Rubicon Warm Line for Service Updates and Support with Service Access

Under the Current Shelter in Place order, Rubicon Programs sites are closed. Limited services are being delivered remotely during this time. Rubicon Programs has implemented 2 warm lines to provide ongoing service updates and facilitate access to services.

For service updates or to access support for Concord AJCC, CCWC WIOA Access Points, Eden AJCC, or Career Employment Centers (CECs), please call 510-323-1104.

For service updates or to access support for All Community-Based Programs (Broadway, Reentry Success Center, Concord, Antioch, Rubicon Education Partnership, OMHT), please call 510-323-1103.

These numbers are staffed Monday through Friday, 8:30am - 5:00pm.

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Update on service delivery at Concord AJCC and WIOA Access Point locations

By Rubicon Admin March 21, 2020

In response to the COVID-19 Pandemic, Rubicon Programs would like to share the following information regarding changes in service delivery at the Concord America’s Job Center of California (Concord AJCC) and Access Point locations for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services:

As of Tuesday, March 17, and through April 30, Rubicon has shifted all service delivery to telework, in alignment and compliance with ongoing and increasingly strong guidance, mandates, and rules from counties and State. The Concord AJCC site is currently closed in order to comply with social distancing and the State-wide shelter in place directive.

WIOA services are continuing and being provided remotely by Rubicon Programs and CCWC WIOA Access Points through various means.

For more information on how to access services, please call:

925-914-7675 (8:30am-5pm, Monday-Friday)
510-672-4150 (8:30am-5pm, Monday-Friday)

Or email LeRoy Gainey, Concord AJCC Site Manager – leroyg@rubiconprograms.org or Stacy Hart, Concord AJCC Site Coordinator – stacyh@rubiconprograms.org

 

For more information on EDD services, please access services in the following ways:

www.edd.ca.gov – Preferred method of accessing services

800-300-5616 Unemployment Insurance (8am-12pm, Monday-Friday)

800-480-3287 Disability Insurance (8am-5pm, Monday-Friday)

877-238-4373 Paid Family Leave (8am-5pm, Monday-Friday)

925-602-0869 EDD local number at Concord AJCC (voice-mail only)

 

We will continue to closely monitor guidance of local Public Health Authorities, and will continue to provide updates regularly on changes to our service delivery.  

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A message from Rubicon Programs during COVID-19

By Rubicon Admin March 21, 2020

Dear Rubicon community,


We hope you are coping as well as possible in the current crisis and taking all necessary precautions to protect your health and that of those around you. I am writing to update you on the approach Rubicon Programs is taking to keep our participants, our staff, and our community safe and healthy.


After giving the situation careful consideration, as of Tuesday March 17, and through April 30, Rubicon will shift all service delivery to telework, in alignment and compliance with ongoing and increasingly strong guidance, mandates, and rules from counties and State. All sites will be closed in order to comply with social distancing and the Bay Area-wide shelter in place directive.


Rubicon staff will customize services to support each participant in meeting their needs and addressing concerns that are top of mind at this time, which are likely different from before the pandemic reached its current stage.


We know that Rubicon staff is a great source of support to our participants and to one another, so we do not make this decision lightly. We are equipping all employees to work remotely, and we are identifying ways to provide social connectedness during this time of necessary social distancing.


The health and safety of our community is our biggest concern. We will continue to closely monitor guidance of local Public Health Authorities, and we urge everyone to follow guidelines and protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We will continue to evaluate our steps and actions regularly and to keep you updated along the way. 


As a community, we are incredibly strong and resilient. We will get through this together and do our part to help slow the spread of this virus so that healthcare workers can do the critical work of taking care of those in need. 


Wishing you wellness and strength during this challenging time, 


Jane Fischberg
President & CEO

 

Follow our Blog for relevant COVID-19 updates!
 

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