Most residents of San Mateo County live in an urban setting with food created by a very small percent of the population. Food production, preparation and marketing have been changed due to technological innovation and many people in San Mateo County are looking to take a more planned approach to our food system.

Formed in 1985, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act mandated that people who were previous employed be allowed to continue health coverage under certain criteria.  There are 3 criteria for eligibility for COBRA:

It’s been said that you can measure the compassion of a community by the way it cares for its elderly. Two non-profit organizations on the San Mateo Coast address those needs by providing seniors with health care, camaraderie, education and a hot lunch every day.

The San Mateo County Medical Center operates several outpatient clinics throughout San Mateo County that specialize in a range of services, such as STD screening and treatment, HIV or AIDS services, pediatrics and urgent care and much more. The San Mateo Medical Center is dedicated to serving the healthcare needs of all residents of San Mateo County, with an emphasis on education and prevention, and without regard for ability to pay. Their Mobile Health Clinic offers convenient medical care for low-income and homeless people and no one is denied service. If you don't have insurance, their Community Health Advocates will help you find affordable healthcare coverage.

There are currently 46 million people without health insurance in the United States. That number is continuing to trend upward as people are losing their jobs and their coverage. So, what do you do when you lose your health insurance?

There are several paths you can take. The most commonly known program is COBRA, which mandates that people must be able to retain their insurance coverage for up to 18 months after the end of employment. Under COBRA, the former employee is responsible for paying the entire insurance premium. Most people choose COBRA because it's easy and well-known. You simply complete the form provided by your former employer and pay the cost.

Julia McKeon created Sonrisas Dental Center out of the need for oral healthcare in southern San Mateo County. From Montera to Pescadero, there are upwards of 7,000 people without access to dental care. Julie knew most of the community consists of nursery, field, or hotel workers whose only option for oral healthcare was a day's worth of travel and missing work, so she created an affordable clinic for oral healthcare and education. In response to her success, the County of San Mateo is providing office space.

Seafood is the only food source that is still actively hunted by humans on a large scale. Once it seemed the ocean would supply an endless bounty of seafood, but today, we are discovering its limits. Off New England, cod were once so plentiful that boats had trouble pushing through them. Now the cod are nearly gone, and a centuries-old fishing tradition is ending. Other overfished species include sharks, bluefin tuna and many kinds of West Coast rockfish. When one kind of fish is no longer plentiful, fishermen must move on to new species.

The HEAL Project began in 2005 at Hatch Elementary School with a grant from Kaiser Permanente. The program has been very successful and well received by students, teachers, parents, school & district administrators and community members alike.

HEAL stands for:
Health - Empowering children with the knowledge and experience to make healthy choices about food & fitness.
Environment - Understanding cycles, ecosystems and how people effect and are effected by those systems, encouraging personal responsibility and stewardship.