Mailbag: Coordination across agencies will help lessen likelihood of disease outbreaks in O.C.

In Orange County, we need to work together to prevent not only the Coronavirus, but any major epidemic from causing disturbance in our area.

In the same way as Chinese infrastructure, healthcare and educational sources work together at the national level, so can we do on the local level. We can work together in solidarity, not fragmentation.

First, we need to make sure that there are well-funded sources for people who need basic housing. Homeless shelters on 19th Street in Costa Mesa and different development projects in Newport Beach have done a great job at providing basic elements for those unable to stand on their feet yet.

While Orange County healthcare programs provide services for the indigent, we have other programs run through nonprofits that help provide crucial buffering services, such as needle exchanges, medical clinics, etc., to either prevent or treat such menacing, chronic conditions like heroin addiction, mental illness and HIV infection.

Our local services, especially the educational services at Orange Coast College, are an excellent resource.

In the booming field of allied health, there is career and technical education. For those who aspire to be nurses or doctors, excellent courses in pre-med work, such as biology, chemistry and physics, are available with excellent academic and transfer advisors to match.

Hopefully, these resources can continue to gain the outpouring of local donations, volunteer professionals and staff who commit to excellent resources for anyone who needs it. Only through truly working at making trim, efficient and responsive services, along with ample communication infrastructure, can services be comprehensive to meet all current needs and deter any future problems.

Joseph Klunder
Beijing
The writer is a former Newport Beach resident.

Save the trees at Ensign Intermediate School

The words that were spoken at Tuesday’s Newport-Mesa Unified school board meeting were reminiscent of the left-wing socialists’ way of thinking that creates a stateless, classless society that ultimately takes power away from the people.

Disturbingly enough, and leading the charge for tearing out the magnificent mature trees along Cliff Drive in Newport Heights at Horace Ensign Intermediate School and installing a parking lot, was the superintendent. The irony is that plans or specifications for the project were unavailable at the meeting, however, the majority of the board voted for the project.

The board did not even publicly consider alternatives for this devastating project. This would also save the taxpayers money, but saving money is obviously not in the school district’s vocabulary.

The same night, Sen. Bernie Sander’s won in New Hampshire. Socialism is impossible because it lacks the necessary information to perform. The board members’ socialistic performance failed on Tuesday night as well.

Peggy V. Palmer
Newport Beach

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