By Seraphina Eberhardt, Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies East County

May 9. 2025 (San Diego's EastCounty) -- May 2025 marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time dedicated to educating the public about mental health challenges, reducing stigma, and promoting wellness. It was established in 1949 by Mental Health America. The annual observance has been pivotal in bringing mental health to the forefront of national conversations. Over the decades, it has evolved to address various aspects of mental well-being, including the relationship between mental health and substance use.

In East County, mental health and substance use are a concern. Recent data highlights the challenges faced by the community. San Diego’s youth are drinking earlier and more often than their peers statewide. That’s a troubling sign of growing risk. One in four local teens has already consumed alcohol, and nearly 1 in 10 reported recent binge drinking.

By Seraphina Eberhardt, Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies East County

March 17, 2025 (San Diego) -- The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory in January highlighting the cancer risks associated with even small amounts of alcohol consumption, noting that alcohol links to at least seven types of cancer. However, alcohol does not only increase the risk of cancer. Alcohol consumption has also been a topic of debate concerning its effects on heart health. Even minimal alcohol intake can elevate the risk of heart disease. For residents of East County, understanding these risks and taking proactive measures can help maintain heart health.

By Seraphina Eberhardt, Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies East County

November 30, 2024 (San Diego’s East County) – As we observe National Homeless Youth Awareness Month this November, we can shine a light on the growing crisis affecting communities nationwide, including San Diego's East County. Homelessness is not just a housing issue. It is intertwined with substance misuse and mental health challenges.

By Seraphina Eberhardt, Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies East County

September 2024 –(San Diego’s East County) -- September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. Suicide is not just a national or state concern. It’s something that touches our neighborhoods, our schools, our families, and our friends. Mental health challenges are increasingly prevalent, especially after the social and emotional strain of the past few years, according to a study by the American Psychology Association. We can unite as a community to support one another and raise awareness about the resources available to help those in crisis.

East County is not immune to the devastating impact of suicide. The pressures of everyday life, financial stress, family issues, academic pressures, and the lingering effects of the pandemic can all contribute to a mental health crisis. For some, the feelings of hopelessness and despair can become overwhelming, leading to thoughts of suicide. According to data released by the county, the east region had higher age-adjusted death rates due to suicide than the county overall in 2018, 2020, and 2021. Data for 2019 and 2022 was not available. In addition, the east region had higher age-adjusted hospitalization and Emergency Department discharge rates due to suicide attempts/ideation/intentional self-harm than the county overall every year from 2018-2022.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Director, Institute for Public Strategies

February 5, 2024 (San Diego) - Tara Stamos-Buesig hit rock bottom one Sunday night while working the streets on El Cajon Boulevard near Hoover High School. She was a sex worker wearing a mini skirt and fishnet stockings. She was snared in a San Diego Police sting operation in an area notorious for prostitution. It was after she had filled her hypodermic needle with the drugs she recovered off the dirty floor of a fast food restaurant restroom and injected them into her system. That’s when she decided to change her life.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

Photo courtesy USDOJ

December 7, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) -- There's no denying the urgency of addressing the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, which has claimed the lives of countless Americans. In the shadows of this crisis, another equally destructive menace is still lurking: methamphetamine abuse. We must continue to recognize that the methamphetamine crisis is very much alive, and we can't allow our focus on opioids to divert our attention from this problem that continues to claim lives and ruin communities.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

October 6, 2023 (San Diego) -- In the ongoing battle against the opioid epidemic and the environmental hazards of improper medication disposal, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's Drug Take Back Day on October 28 is an essential reminder to East County residents about safely discarding unwanted pills. This initiative, which occurs twice a year, empowers communities nationwide to safely and responsibly dispose of unwanted drugs. It's not just a one-day event that occurs every October and April. It's a call to action that should inspire us to adopt environmentally safe methods for disposing of meds year-round.

Drug can cause rotting skin, amputations

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

August 2023 (San Diego’s East County) --Fentanyl is the deadliest drug threat our country has ever faced, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. But a DEA Public Safety Alert warns that a sharp increase in the trafficking of fentanyl mixed with xylazine is making the threat even deadlier.

Xylazine, also known as “tranq,” is a powerful sedative approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for veterinary use. Not human use. It is commonly used to tranquilize large animals like horses and livestock during medical procedures. It requires a prescription. But it has found its way into the illicit drug market and is being used recreationally by users seeking an intense and dangerous high.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

June 11, 2023 (San Diego) -- If you’re looking for medical attention in the East County’s backcountry, chances are you have about a 30 to 60-minute drive ahead of you to get the help you need. While the challenges of rural health care are not new, the topic got more attention during the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccination rates in the region were lower than anywhere else in the county. That could have been because of the lack of trust by some rural residents, disinformation spreading by word of mouth, and isolation, among several other reasons. The rural backcountry stretches from the east side of Alpine to the County line and from the border to the south side of Julian. Rural healthcare challenges are not limited to East County.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

April 13, 2023 (San Diego) - There is a downward trend in the number of young people who use alcohol, according to national figures, but alcohol remains the number one drug of choice for America’s youth. And it is more likely to kill young people than all the illegal drugs combined. Ten percent of the 11th graders in San Diego County reported binge drinking in the past 30 days when asked in a survey. That’s higher than the statewide result of 4 percent. One out of every 13 in the county reported being drunk or high at school in the same period. These numbers may seem alarming, but they are on a downward trend. That’s according to the San Diego County Binge and Underage Drinking Initiative’s (BUDI) 2023 Status Report.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

February 10, 2023 (San Diego) -- When President Ronald Reagan said “There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect,” he was speaking to a joint session of Congress in a February, 1985 State of the Union Address. He could have been addressing the citizens and city leaders of Santee in 2020. That’s when the City Council passed a resolution recognizing that as a community, they had to actively work to be anti-racist. That included continuing to learn about, reflect on and incorporate anti-racist policies into City government and strengthen a future incompatible with hatred or racism in the Santee community and nation.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

December 12, 2022 (Spring Valley) -- Spring Valley residents have become agents of change for their community’s health  and welfare and their work is having significant results. The Spring Valley Community Alliance has become actively engaged in planning and land use issues and neighborhood health and safety concerns, while securing resources for community transformation.

By David R. Shorey, East County Program Manager, Institute for Public Strategies

October 4, 2022 (San Diego’s East County) -- There is an opioid epidemic in the United States that stretches into California and San Diego County. People who use drugs are dying from overdoses in record numbers, including 12 kids under the age of 18 who died in San Diego County from opioid overdoses in 2021. A proven strategy to address the rising opioid overdose deaths is through widespread naloxone distribution in our communities which should include local school campuses for grades 6-12. Even one child using drugs and putting their life in jeopardy is one too many.