District 1 Supervisor and Chairman of the Imperial County Board of Supervisors, Jesus Eduardo Escobar, addressed County employees, dignitaries, and the community to present the 2022 State of the County Address at the Gran Plaza Outlets in Calexico Thursday, April 28.
He reminded us that though the last few years have been challenging, the County and its community has continued to move forward through “illness, quarantine, separation from family and friends, fear, anxiety, frustration, sorrow, and personal loss.”
He then presented some key takeaways from the last year.
Imperial County Behavioral Health Services assisted more than 11,000 individuals last year through mental health and substance use services. Four new programs were started through Behavioral Health, which specialized in new treatments and therapies.
The Department of Social Services assisted more than 101,000 residents, which was an 8 percent increase from 2020. More than 2,600 individuals experiencing homelessness were provided with housing services.
The Public Administrator and Area Agency on Aging (AAA) worked to ensure that senior citizens had access to meals, internet, and other resources to help them through the pandemic. Funding was secured to help serve meals to homebound seniors, reopen congregate meal sites when it was safe to do so, and distribute iPads and more to help with the digital divide.
The Imperial County Free Library continued working to meet the educational needs of the community with programs such as the Raise a Reader program and Libraries on the Spectrum program.
Escobar went on to discuss the many actions taken by the Board of Supervisors, CEO’s office, Imperial County Public Works, Agricultural Commissioner’s office, Department of Child Support Services, Public Safety, and the Imperial County Workforce and Economic Development office. The Workforce and Economic Development office served about 3,000 individuals each month with paid work experience, financial literacy workshops, on-the-job training placement, staffing and recruitment assistance, and disaster relief for employment, training, and assistance.
“The future is so bright; you’ve got to wear shades in Imperial County. As we proceed with the rest of 2022, the message I want to leave all of you with, is that there is strength in unity. The Board of Supervisors is united, and we will surpass any challenges ahead of us as a united force. We will be successful and flourish, united and working together,” said Supervisor Escobar.