Ambulances Diverted

Good Morning, I’m Annica Colbert….it’s Thursday, December 17th. The pandemic’s toll on mental health in Latino Communities. We have that story next...But first... let’s do the headlines…. Hospitals in California have filled up so fast that officials are opening up mobile field facilities while scrambling to find doctors and nurses to staff them. California sent 5,000 body bags to Los Angeles and San Diego. The state has 60 refrigerated mobile trailers on standby as makeshift morgues. Locally, San Diego county health officials reported 2867 new infections on wednesday. That’s the second highest daily case count ever recorded. 23 new deaths were reported. The county announced a new policy on Tuesday as San Diego’s hospital emergency rooms fill up. The policy - known as Complete Diversion - means some hospitals can temporarily stop ambulances from delivering patients to their ERs. The diversion can last for a maximum of 4 hours -- during that time ambulances take patients to other nearby hospitals. Diversion policies are not uncommon when hospital ERs fll up - but this is the first time San Diego county hospitals have had the ability to completely stop the flow of ambulances to their facilities. From KPBS, you’re listening to San Diego News Now. Stay with me for more of the local news you need. The San Diego Chicano Federation has seen first-hand how the fear and anxiety caused by the pandemic has impacted it’s communities. Nancy Maldonado is the CEO of the Chicano Federation. She spoke to KPBS Midday Edition host Jade Hindmon about the mental health impact on San Diego’s Latino community That was Nancy Maldonado, CEO of the Chicano Federation speaking with KPBS Midday Host Jade Hindmon. Democratic state lawmakers are renewing a push to end mandatory prison sentences for certain drug crimes. Capradio’s Nicole Nixon reports. Judges aren’t always allowed to send drug offenders to rehab or probation— and State Senator Scott Wiener says they should be. WIENER: California helped pioneer mass incarceration in the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, despite our progressive reputation. And now it should be on California to help lead the way out of mass incarceration. <<:13>> His bill would allow judges to choose between jail time, probation, or other options for nonviolent drug offenders who are convicted of crimes like possessing a half-ounce of heroin or selling meth. The measure has support from liberal leaders in the criminal justice sphere, like newly sworn-in Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon. Several other states have also relaxed mandatory sentencing laws in recent years. This will be the fourth iteration of this bill in California. Previous versions stalled after Wiener says they hit procedural roadblocks. SOC Now, we have an update for you on a story we first brought you in October. A former caregiver was arrested and charged this week for allegedly sexually assaulting three elderly women at three local nursing homes. KPBS’s Amita Sharma has more. El Cajon Police arrested ex-caregiver Matthew Fluckiger 18 months after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 71-year-old woman at Avocado Post Acute nursing home. In that case, the San Diego County District Attorney’s office has charged Fluckiger with one count of forcible lewd and lascivious conduct on an adult by a caretaker. Fluckiger also faces similar charges involving two other women...one with dementia at San Diego Post Acute and another at Parkway Hills Nursing and Rehabilitation in La Mesa earlier this year. Amita Sharma, KPBS News. KPBS reporters are doing a series of stories looking at how San Diegans are coping with this public health crisis we’ve all been living through. We’re calling them pandemic profiles. KPBS education reporter Joe Hong brings us this story of one UC san diego student who’s been forced to finish her last year of college from halfway around the world. 22-year-old Ariana Cubillian has spent the last 9 months trying to make the most of her final year of college while living in the Philippines. Cubillian says being with her family during this crisis has its upsides. CUBILLIAN.mp400:02:42:19I sort of liked it more in a way because when I’m there in the states, I was kind of alone and I have to take care of myself. And of course everything’s crazy with the pandemic so it’s kind of nice to be in something so familiar to me. But as she saw her friends and past roommates reuniting and quarantining together, she started to feel isolated. But she found comfort in journaling and writing down her frustrations about being stuck at home. She eventually learned to appreciate her time with her family. CUBILLIAN.mp400:10:32:23ARIANNA CUBILLIAN /// UC SAN DIEGO STUDENTSo I’m in a much better place now because I’m not constantly thinking anymore about what I should be experiencing, and I’ve managed to find a way to be grateful that I can be home. Cubillian expects to stay in Manila at least until the spring quarter starts in March. When she returns to San Diego, she said she’s hoping to salvage the last bit of her senior year. Joe Hong KPBS News. And now, Maya Madsen. She’s the mastermind behind Maya's Cookies in Grantville. She tells us how 2 major events - COVID-19 and the killing of George Floyd - set her business on a path she could not have imagined. This story was produced by KPBS video journalist Roland Lizarondo. The Nation’s Climate Scientists say November’s average temperatures were warmer than usual. KPBS’s Erik Anderson says 2020 is nearly one of the hottest years on record. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tracks global temperatures and researchers say the trend of increasingly warmer temperatures is continuing. November was the second warmest on record. NOAA climatologist Ahira Sánchez-Lugo says the ten warmest Novembers have all happened since 2004. This year’s warm temperatures also put 2020 on the cusp of being one of the hottest years on record. NOAATEMPS 1A :17 00:05:25 – 00:05:42 “It is very likely, very likely that it will be among the top three warmest years on record. So, we do the same analysis for the year 2021. And we are…it is very likely for the year 2021 to also end among the ten warmest years on record.” Global temperatures have been rising steadily since the 19-80’s and that’s expected to continue. Coming up....the BIG problem with mini pigs. “I thought a mini pig was going to be something that was going to be like a teacup dog, something that was going to be smaller, that could fit in your lap, that you could hold all the time.” Deceitful marketing terms have led to a crisis of overfilled piggie sanctuaries. That story next, just after this break. When you hear the words micro, mini, teacup, nano, or pixie you wouldn’t really think of pigs. Those are unrealistic marketing terms used to sell adorable mini piglets. The misrepresentation is a big problem for buyers who may end up with more than they bargained for. KPBS’s Maya Trabulsi reports. VO: It’s snack time VO: For Brittany Whissel’s two mini pot-bellied pigs. VO: As she waits for a house call from the vet, she casts handfuls of oatmeal flakes onto the artificial turf so Alfie and Ozzy can do what pigs love to do, root for goodies. VO: Looking at these pigs, you might not think the words mini, micro, nano, pixie, or teacup are appropriate. While they may have fit into a teacup as piglets, those days are long gone. In 2012, Whisell fell for a big fat lie. WHISSEL: “I thought a mini pig was going to be something that was going to be like a teacup dog, something that was going to be smaller, that could fit in your lap, that you could hold all the time.” 5110 VO: Whissell found a breeder online and paid $2500 for her first micro mini pig, Penelope. The breeder had her come at night, and didn’t allow access to see the parents. WHISSEL: “She had said that there was no lighting in her barn or the pigs were all sleeping, so there’s just a couple of things, things that are red flags now.” VO: She was given feeding instructions that, had she followed them, would have starved the young pig. WHISSEL: “To feed her tablespoons of feed. And to slowly increase it, but never by much. VO: Underfeeding is a common strategy among unscrupulous breeders to keep pigs small. But they grow for at least 3 years. WHISSEL: “We were told that by a year of age they would be 10lbs and by the time they were full grown, they would be no more than 20 to 30lbs.” VO: By the time Penelope died of heart disease in 2019, she weighed 167lbs. Whissel found others who had also unknowingly fallen for the micro pig myth and believes social media had a hand to play. WHISSEL: “I think it really, really perpetuated the problem that you just see all these cute videos of these little piglets doing fun things in their homes. And now people are seeing, oh, pigs aren’t barm animals, pigs can live in homes.” NATS: Vet arrives in huge mobile van VO: Exotic Animal Veterinarian Dr. Lynsey Rosen pulls up in her mobile clinic. NAT: “Alright, piggy time.” NAT: “This is our mobile x-ray unit.” VO: Because Ozzy came from the same breeder as Penelope, and born to the same parents, x-rays every 6 months make sure he doesn’t have the same heart condition that killed her. NAT ROSEN: “Such a handsome boy, what a good pig.” VO: Dr. Rosen says while mini pigs do exist, they’re only mini when compared to huge production pigs. She says some breeders are dishonest about what they’re actually selling. I asked Dr. Rosen to comment on a breeder’s website that charges up to $3500 for breeder quality micro mini pigs it claims will be 20-30 lbs. fully grown. “They either are just blatantly lying and the pigs get a lot bigger, or they're telling people not to feed them, or the pigs have some horrible genetic problem, I mean there is no way that is possible. They’re selling these pigs for an exorbitant amount of money to poor unsuspecting people who see cute pictures on their website, and they're going to end with some sort of medical disaster on their hands.” COGNILIO: “We call them ‘greeders’ because they care about the money more than they do about the pig’s well-being.” VO: Reputable breeders, Like Haley Cognilio take time to educate customers. COGNILIO: “Backyard breeders, essentially, are telling you their pigs you're looking at are fully grown when in fact they're not. So, the parents that you're looking at are actually going to double in size and you're going to end up wondering why your piglet ended up getting so big. VO: When a pig is underfed to stay small, it’s musculoskeletal system can’t keep up with the growth of its organs. It’s oversized head hangs from lack of muscle. It is hunched, pigeon-toed, and likely won’t live long. VO: Though mini pig marketing can be deceptive, it is not illegal. Pigs don’t have the same protection under the law as traditional pets because the USDA classifies them as livestock swine, whether they’re companions or food. ROSEN: “Because the animals in our food system actually are not treated very well pigs fall into that category as well and aren't really protected the same way that food animals aren't protected.” NAT: “Dotty Waddles!” VO: The grass at Grazin’ Pig Acres has long been grazed by the rescued residents here. NATS: “And I’ve got some here that people have paid $1000 for.” VO: Martin and Nancy Koontz run this sanctuary in Ramona. They say all other sanctuaries they know are maxed out like they are. NANCY: 5141 “Inundated with calls every week. Some of the people we don't even call back because we don't even know what to tell them, because there's no other sanctuary that has any room.” MARTY: 5141 “There's just no control over the breeders and they just keep doing it to make a dollar. Because as soon as you buy that little baby and you drive off on their property, they don't want to see you again.” VO: The Koontz’s say pigs make great pets. But they ask that people visit, learn, then adopt, so overfilled sanctuaries like theirs don’t have to turn away pigs - abandoned just for being pigs. That was KPBS’ Maya Trabulsi. KPBS reached out to other breeders for this story but received no response for comment. ….That’s it for the podcast today. Be sure to catch KPBS Midday Edition At Noon on KPBS radio, or watch KPBS Evening Edition at 5 O’clock on KPBS Television. As always you can find more San Diego news online at KPBS dot org. I’m Annica Colbert. Thanks for listening and have a great day.