Here are five things that caught my attention!
988 Launch: The National 24/7 Crisis Support Line is now live so people experiencing a mental health or substance use crisis can now call or text 988 to reach and connect with mental health professionals trained to respond to emergencies. Here in San Diego, this number will connect to the mental health infrastructure we’ve set up to provide help to those in crisis, including the ability to dispatch mobile crisis response teams (trained behavioral health specialists) and connections to one of our five crisis stabilization units in the region. San Diegans calling our County Crisis Line at 888-724-7240 will still be connected to the same place to get the help they need. This is a big step in dealing with our national mental health crisis.
"This is of course bad.”: That was the quote from Sergey Lazarev, Moscow Chess Federation President after a robot playing chess against a 7-year-old boy broke his finger. If you are a weirdo and want to see the video (yes, I watched it) then click here. Otherwise please note that chess is a very dangerous game to your ego, but, unless playing a Russian robot, it remains very safe.
Keep Cool: It’s heat advisory season and many parts of the country are seeing dangerous heat waves this week, so I wanted to remind you that we’ve taken steps to help you beat the heat and keep cool this summer: We’ve set up a network of free, air-conditioned “Cool Zones” across the County to allow older adults, persons with disabilities, or anyone looking to escape extreme heat -- find one in your area here. You can also call 2-1-1 to arrange free transportation to a place where you can keep cool. If a free electric fan is what you need, we may be able to help you out with that too.
Yukon: Last weekend, I snuck out with some friends to dive the HMCS Yukon! It is a Canadian destroyer escort ship that is 366 feet long. Visibility wasn’t great, but the experience was! The sinking of the Yukon didn’t quite go as planned, and the result of that mishap is a ship that is a little deeper than anticipated. So, you need at least an advanced scuba diver rating, but if that is you then head on out!
Fear Factor: Speaking of ocean dangers this week is Shark Week. And it is time to once again share the “things more likely to kill you than a shark” list. Cows, bees and even lightning (76 times more likely to kill you than a shark) all top the list. Vending machines are twice as lethal as sharks.