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Los Angeles Times
23-05-2025
- Business
- Los Angeles Times
Costa Mesa channels $3.2M in federal grants into housing initiatives, assistance projects
As Costa Mesa works out next year's budget, city leaders Tuesday considered how best to allocate nearly $1.1 million in anticipated federal community development block grants and $2.1 million for housing rehabilitation and assistance. Administered through the U.S. Department of Urban Housing and Development (HUD), the funding programs collectively aim to bolster the efforts of city programs and nonprofit organizations that help provide housing stability for low-income residents and those at risk of homelessness. Grant administrator Mikelle Daily explained Costa Mesa annually receives CDBG funding to benefit moderate- to low-income residents, one of three defined national objectives outlined by HUD, while HOME Investment Partnership Grants help create more affordable housing for low- and very-low income households. In Orange County, a two-person household earning $108,300 — or 80% of the area median income — qualifies as low-income, while one earning $67,700 would be very low-income, according to HUD figures. In addition to this year's CDBG allocation of $907,261, the city will apply an $172,000 of previously unspent grants, dedicating $1.1 million toward housing rehabilitation, public facility improvements, code enforcement and public service grants. City staff recommended $251,720 be allocated for improvements to Wilson Street on the city's west side, and another $385,000 be used to fund code enforcement officers working in CDBG-eligible neighborhoods. A sum of $136,089 was set aside for public service grants to qualifying nonprofits, who applied for consideration and were selected in March by the Housing and Public Service Grant Committee. The committee recommended $26,522 for Families Forward, which targets homelessness prevention efforts on households with children; $26,522 to Human Options, a domestic violence prevention group; $21,219 for Project Hope Alliance, a youth homelessness prevention organization; $15,913 for the Assistance League of Newport-Mesa's Operation School Bell program and $15,913 to Trellis International, which organizes the neighbor assistance program Labors of Love. 'We did have to make some difficult decisions and recommendations, just to make sure we're stretching the limited funds as far as possible for the biggest impact,' committee member Andrea Schmidt said Tuesday. On the HOME funding front, the city received an annual allocation for 2025-26 of $378,720 for rehabilitation and housing assistance and will apply a previously banked $1,735,283 — for a total of more than $2.11 million — toward multiple projects and initiatives. In addition to allocating $200,000 toward the city's tenant-based rental assistance program, $319,323 of the HOME funds will be used to offer loans up to $50,000 and grants up to $20,000 for the rehabilitation of single-family residences. Another $1.5 million will be banked for affordable housing projects in Costa Mesa, such as the conversion of a Motel 6 to residential units on Newport Boulevard in 2023, while $56,808 will be kept for the nonprofits who may act as their operators. Some council members asked about the possibility that federal funds might be frozen under the Trump administration, but Daily said the programs have so far withstood previous threats by commanders in chief. 'It has strong bipartisan support in Congress and has prevailed anytime that it has been requested to be eliminated,' she said, citing previous efforts by Trump, George W. Bush and Barrack Obama to cut or reduce spending, before qualifying her answer a bit. 'It's just something that has strong support, so I don't really see that the funding is going to be discontinued — but it's possible.' Mayor Pro Tem Manuel Chavez said he was pleased with the city's allocations. 'These are dollars that we pay to the federal government, so it's good to have them come back to us,' he said.
Medscape
09-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
EU Prioritises Green Skills for Healthcare Workers
The European Union (EU) has identified training healthcare personnel in green skills as a strategic priority. This topic was recently discussed in a webinar hosted by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. Green skills encompass the knowledge, skills, and values that enable individuals to implement sustainable practices and promote environmental sustainability. This issue is becoming increasingly significant in the healthcare industry. The webinar focused on the BeWell project, which began in 2022 and aims to develop green and digital skills for a sustainable future in the health ecosystem by incorporating local, regional, national, and European initiatives. Climate Challenge Andrea Schmidt, PhD, Head of Department, Climate and Health, Austrian National Public Health Institute, Vienna, Austria, emphasised that climate change poses the greatest challenge to health systems in the 21st century, with record heat, an increasing number of extreme weather events, and a rising risk for allergies and infectious diseases. 'Health systems contribute approximately 5% of greenhouse gas emissions, necessitating two actions: First, improving health to reduce healthcare demand and increase resilience (including health promotion); and second, reducing carbon emissions from health activities,' she added. Therefore, she recommended integrating sustainability into quality improvement strategies. In her view, healthcare workers play a crucial role in building climate-resilient, low-emission health systems. 'They are agents of transformation during these times of multiple crises and are recognised figures in society, with direct access to vulnerable groups. However, there is a gap in education, training, curriculum, and continuous professional development, both in the EU and globally,' she warned. Three Levels According to Schmidt, key capabilities must be deployed at the macro, meso, and micro levels. At the macro level, sufficient healthcare workers must be trained and educated, supported by policies that promote climate resilience and health. At the meso level, green teams should be established and trained within institutions to drive innovation and share best practices. Finally, at the micro level, information, awareness, and communication should be promoted, conveying climate-related risks to decision-makers, the media, and community leaders to ensure that they reach the public. She stressed that 'collaboration across sectors is essential.' Among the various frameworks for developing skills and competencies in this area, she highlighted BeWell, a competency matrix that focuses on mitigation strategies. Other useful tools include the Planetary Health Report Card initiative, the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region. Finally, she identified several barriers, including a lack of healthcare professionals and resources and the low quality of jobs, which increased pressure on health systems. There is also a shortage of trainers with the necessary knowledge to educate healthcare staff on these aspects. Other challenges include a lack of long-term vision due to current pressures and insufficient evidence, knowledge, and awareness to support the implementation of environmentally beneficial practices. Federica Margheri, executive director at the European Health Management Association, noted a lack of knowledge and awareness in training in green skills, suggesting that all efforts should focus on these areas. Ronald Batenburg, PhD, professor in health workforce and organisation studies at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and program leader at the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, highlighted the absence of indicators as another key issue. He also stressed the importance of training healthcare workers who are just beginning their careers in health systems, insisting on the need to compare results as a means of improvement and to raise awareness. European Support Petronille Bogaert, policy officer in the Health Security Unit in DG SANTE at the European Commission, reiterated the importance of green skills for adapting systems to the challenges posed by climate change. 'This is not merely a technical update; it is a strategic decision, he said. Green care models are promising, and we will continue to support them. It is essential to do so in the health sector and collaboratively across different sectors,' she said. During the subsequent debate, questions regarding the funding and evaluation of these initiatives arose. Schmidt advocated for climate resilience, focusing on high-value care and discarding low-value care that affects the carbon footprint. Therefore, existing strategies linked to green skills must be implemented. She concluded that there is 'much to learn' from countries outside the European context.
Reuters
28-02-2025
- Business
- Reuters
German court says EY not liable for damages in Wirecard lawsuit
MUNICH, Feb 28 (Reuters) - A German court said on Friday that EY Germany cannot be held liable for damages in a lawsuit by former Wirecard (WDIG.H), opens new tab shareholders over its allegedly flawed audits of the now-defunct payments group. EY faced considerable fallout from the 2020 collapse of Wirecard - one of Europe's biggest ever accounting scandals - including a two-year ban on taking on new audits for companies of public interest. The auditing company could not be held liable because its reports on Wirecard did not qualify as a "public capital market information", Judge Andrea Schmidt said in justifying the decision. Peter Mattil, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said an appeal would be filed, while Daniela Bergdolt of the DSW association of private investors said that shareholder claims against EY would be asserted in other lawsuits if necessary. An EY spokesperson said the auditing company still considered the claims to be unfounded. The focus of the trial now turns to former Wirecard CEO Markus Braun and remnants of the company represented by administrators. However, the plaintiffs' lawyers have said enforcing any claims against them will be difficult because the claims exceed the remaining assets by far. Wirecard filed for insolvency in June 2020, owing creditors almost $4 billion, after disclosing a 1.9 billion euro ($1.98 billion) hole in its accounts that EY said was the result of a sophisticated global fraud. The company, founded in 1999, began by processing payments for gambling and pornography websites before becoming a fintech star and a member of Germany's blue-chip DAX index. ($1 = 0.9611 euros)
