Some creative new measures have helped Sebastopol's Palm Drive hospital climb back out of bankruptcy.

Providing outpatient medical services to the inmates of San Quentin prison has become a helpful additional source of revenue for Palm Drive. Getting that program started with the California Department of Corrections (CDC) mostly required a little extra entreprenurial initiative, according to hospital CEO Jim Russel (below).

Palm Drive is also  trying something new by having psychologist Dr. David J. Murphy (below) on call to assist with mental health crises in the hospital emergency room.

By assisting and intervening as the individuals are admitted, he is often able diffuse volatile situations,and avoid the involvement of law enforcement personnel.This both reduces costs at county facilities, and enables the patients to receive treatment closer to home. 

Volunteer peacekeepers, including a Santa Rosa woman, are helping to hold down the violence in some key international hot spots, as part of the Nonviolent Peace Force.

Linda Sartor and Jan Passion (right) will talk about their experience with the Nonviolent Peaceforce  and the ways that people can joinat a private home gathering in Santa Rosa on Tuesday evening, March 10 at 7 pm in Santa Rosa.  If you want to attend, email Pat at patmas41@mac.com for directions and to RSVP.

Of course there are other ways to get involved, too. One is by buying Peace Bonds.

Click here for information about how to volunteer with the Sonoma County 2-1-1 program.

 As for the dubious Property Tax Reassessment solicitations, homeowners are advised that the county does not charge for this service, and southern California companies that offer to do it for a fee should not be taken at face value, especially any deadlines they may set. The Sonoma County Assessor's office has set no such deadlines. If you have recieved such a solicitation, you are invited to contact the Sonoma County District Attorney's office at (707) 565-3161.

You can download the form for a no-c0st reassessment of your Sonoma County property directly from the County Assessor's website.  Questions for the Assessor's office can also be called in to (707) 5651888. 

From courts to consumers, mercury levels in tuna and other seafood remains a hotly debated subject.

Jane M. Hightower, M.D., author of Diagnosis Mercury,  is a board certified internal medicine physician in San Francisco, California. She published a landmark study that brought the issue of mercury in seafood to national attention. She continues to publish scientific papers and give lectures on the subject.

Research on the risks and safe exposure levels for mercury is fragmentary and inconsistent, as are the recommended tolerances from different governmental watchdog bodies. You can see a comparison chart here. For a history of mercury and fish, click here.

 Of course, not all kinds of tuna carry the same levels of mercury and associated risk, nor are those concerns limited to tuna, as Hightower explains.

All of these concerns are dismissed by the Center for Consumer Freedom, an industry-funded advocacy group which has created an extensive website to debunk claims that mercury in fish is harmful to human health. You can access their fish/mercury safety calculator here.

David Martosko, the Center's Research Director, contends the question of warning labels on tuna cans should have been settled by the outcome of the original court case back in 2006.

Established with funding from tobacco giant Phillip Morris, the Center for Consumer Freedom has regularly unleashed broad attacks on a wide range of public advocacy groups, including the federal Centers for Disease Control, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. A lengthy expose from ConsumerDeception.com is posted here. The Center for Media and Democracy has posted its analysis here , and the Center for Science in the Public Interest details its own battles with CCF here.