After the meeting. Photos/video: Andrew Goff.

At a community meeting at the Willow Creek Bible Church this afternoon, the command team in charge of the Six Rivers Lightning Fires — currently more than 7,000 acres in size, and still uncontained — introduced itself to the Willow Creek area. 

About 75 locals were in attendance, looking for answers. The main thing they learned: Those fires are not going to be out anytime soon.

“This is going to be a long battle,” said Cal Fire unit chief Kurt McCray.

Cal Fire is moving massive resources into the area, commanders said, and will henceforth be co-managing the fires with the Six Rivers National Forest. But dry, hot conditions on the ground, mean that these fires are almost certainly going to be burning for some time.

Also on hand: Humboldt County Sheriff Billy Honsal and Emergency Services Manager Ryan Derby, there to talk about evacuation procedures and how to stay up to date. They urged everyone to keep checking the Zonehaven Aware website — link here — for the most up-to-date information about evacuation warnings and orders. They also urged everyone to sign up for the county’s emergency alert system, which can be done at this link.

Unspecified technical difficulties prevented the meeting from streaming live on the Six Rivers National Forest Facebook page as originally planned, but the media team has promised to post video of the meeting soon.

The Six Rivers Lightning Fire Complex fires were sparked on Friday morning, after lightning storms passed through the area in the middle of the night. Several of those strikes have since merged. Fires are burning north, east and south of Willow Creek.

The fire boundaries as of this morning.

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The local real estate market has been hot lately, and the County of Humboldt wants to invest in some property.

At tomorrow’s Board of Supervisors meeting, staff is requesting approval to negotiate terms for the purchase two Eureka office buildings, along with the parcels they sit upon. While the purchase price remains to be finalized — and the deals could conceivably fall through for any variety of reasons — the properties are listed for a combined price of $3,895,000.

The larger of the two, pictured above, is home to a two-story, 8,760-square-foot office building whose architect apparently tried to mask its bland boxiness by slapping a few incongruous, faux-Greek columns out front. 

Formerly home to a tax accounting firm, the building is in “very good condition for the local market and would require relatively minimal work to be occupied by County of Humboldt staff,” according to a staff report. It’s listed for sale at $2.4 million. 

What does the county want this thing for? Deputy County Administrator Sean Quincey said the specific future use remains to be seen, but there are a number of county buildings in need of remodeling or replacement, including the Public Defender’s Office at 1001 Fourth Street, the aging Clark Complex on Harris between H and I streets (home to the Planning and Building Department, among others), and the Public Works Department, which is currently housed in trailers near the Adorni Center. This building could function as “swing space” while remodeling or redevelopment projects are under way.

Long-term, the county is working to realize a vision contained in its Facilities Master Plan — namely, grouping related services together in a series of “campuses” for public convenience. Quincey said this Fourth Street property could play a role in that transition.

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As for the other property, located at 404 H Street, the county is already renting the single-story, 7,334-square-foot building, with the Probation Department using it to house its Community Corrections Resource Center, which is billed as a “one-stop-shop” for meeting the diverse needs of high-risk residents under county supervision.

Staff from the Probation Department as well as the executive committee of the Humboldt County Community Corrections Partnership (HCCCP) want the county to look into buying this property, now that it’s on the market (listed at $1,495,000). A staff report says, “The potential to own a building that is currently being leased would be an investment in county facilities for the greatest public benefit.”

Perhaps so, but does the county really have the money for such investments right now? Less than six weeks ago, as you may recall, the Board of Supervisors adopted a hiring freeze because a backlog of delinquent fiscal reporting had left administrators with such glaring blind spots in the books that they were unable to complete the annual budget.

Quincey pointed out that the items on tomorrow’s agenda don’t lock the county into actually purchasing these properties. Instead, they would allow Public Works staff to negotiate terms. Meanwhile, he said, Interim Auditor-Controller Cheryl Dillingham has been working to complete the county’s overdue fiscal reports.

“We’re still in the process of cleaning up our books,” Quincey said. “Cheryl is doing a great job over there, but at the same time we need to continue setting things in motion so we can pounce on opportunities when we have more clarity.”

The County Administrative Office has approved use of the 2020 Finance Plan funds, which Quincey described as a line of credit, for the purchase of 1315 Fourth Street. 

The HCCCP, meanwhile, has approved spending $20,000 from the Public Safety Realignment Trust on “preliminary investigations and negotiations” regarding the purchase of 404 H Street.

Both items are on the consent calendar for tomorrow, meaning they’re set to be approved without specific deliberations from the board. 

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Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:

Evacuation warnings and orders remain in effect for areas north, east and south of Willow Creek as fire crews work to contain the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire.

CURRENT SITUATION

The Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire is made up of numerous active fires around the Willow Creek area. The fires are burning in areas of steep terrain and dry conditions. The incident response is being managed by the United States Forest Service (USFS) - Six Rivers National Forest.

According to the USFS, the total estimated size of the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire is 3,181 acres with zero containment. Today firefighters continue to provide protection for structures, infrastructure and wildlife habitats. No information is available regarding structure loss at this time.

A community meeting is scheduled for today, August 8, 2022, at 3 p.m. at the Willow Creek Bible Church. Humboldt and Trinity County residents impacted by the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire are invited to attend. The meeting will also be broadcast live on the USFS - Six Rivers National Forest Facebook page.

Willow Creek Bible Church
39 Brannon Mountain Road
Willow Creek, CA 95573

Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies continue to patrol the areas under evacuation order to notify residents of the order and conduct looting prevention.

EVACUATION INFORMATION

[For a live, zoomable map, click here.]

A new EVACUATION ORDER has been issued for zones: HUM-E063-A and HUM-E077-B

ZONE DESCRIPTIONS:

HUM-E063-A

NORTH OF Forest Route 6n39
SOUTH OF Friday Ridge Road
EAST OF Friday Ridge Road, Forest Route 6n08a
WEST OF Friday Ridge Road

HUM-E077-B

NORTH OF Friday Ridge Road, Forest Route 5n01
SOUTH OF Friday Ridge Road
EAST OF 5n10, 5n09, 5n27
WEST OF South Fork Road, Forest Route 5n42

An EVACUATION ORDER remains in effect for zones: HUM-E056, HUM-E057, HUM-E058, HUM-E061, HUM-E077-C

ZONE DESCRIPTIONS:

HUM-E056

NORTH OF Bigfoot Scenic Byway, River Bend Road, Peach Tree Lane, Patterson Road

SOUTH OF Bigfoot Scenic Byway, Horse Linto Creek Road
EAST OF Orchard Lane
WEST OF Horse Linto Creek Road

HUM-E057

NORTH OF Seeley Mc Intosh Road
SOUTH OF Patterson Road
EAST OF River Bend Road, Patterson Road
WEST OF Moonset Lane

HUM-E058

NORTH OF Forest Route 7n15
SOUTH OF Horse Linto Creek Road
EAST OF Peach Tree Lane
WEST OF Coon Creek Rd, Forest Route 7n15

HUM-E061

NORTH OF Forest Route 7n15
SOUTH OF Seeley Mc Intosh Road
EAST OF Seeley Mc Intosh Road, Campbell Ridge Road
WEST OF Forest Route 7n15

HUM-E077-C

NORTH OF Forest Route 5n32
SOUTH OF Friday Ridge Road, South Fork Road
EAST OF Forest Route 5n37
WEST OF South Fork Road, Carpenter Road

A new EVACUATION WARNING has been issued for zones: HUM-E077-D, HUM-E076-B and HUM-E062

ZONE DESCRIPTIONS:

HUM-E077-D

NORTH OF Forest Route 6n06f
SOUTH OF Forest Route 5n42, Forest Route 5n04
EAST OF Forest Route 5n01, Friday Ridge Road
WEST OF Forest Route 5n42, South Fork Road

HUM-E076-B

NORTH OF Friday Ridge Road
SOUTH OF Friday Ridge Road
WEST OF Forest Route 5n01

HUM-E062

NORTH OF 5n10
SOUTH OF 06n21, Brushy Mountain Lookout Road, Cedar Creek Road, Trinity Highway
EAST OF Titlow Hill Road, Cedar Creek Road
WEST OF Friday Ridge Road

An EVACUATION WARNING remains in effect for zones: HUM-E063-B, HUM-E064

ZONE DESCRIPTIONS:

HUM-E063-B

NORTH OF Forest Route 6n39, Friday Ridge Road
SOUTH OF Forest Rt 6n33
EAST OF Friday Ridge Road
WEST OF Friday Ridge Road, Riteway Lane

HUM-E064

NORTH OF Trinity Highway, Wood Lane, Friday Ridge Road
SOUTH OF Campbell Ridge Road, Triple R Lane, Butterfly Creek Road, Kimberly Drive, Trinity Highway
EAST OF Trinity Highway
WEST OF Wood Lane, Campbell Ridge Road

WILDFIRE ADVISORIES remain in effect for the following zones in the Willow Creek area: HUM-E031, HUM-E032, HUM-E054, HUM-E055,HUM-E059, HUM-E060

Maps of evacuation zones and routes are available at community.zonehaven.com.

CURRENT ROAD CONDITIONS

State Route 299 remains open to through traffic. Residents are encouraged to visit http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/ to check for state highway closures.

The following roads into evacuation zones have been closed. Residents may still use these roads to travel out of evacuation order zones:

• Horse Linto Creek Road at Saddle Lane

• Country Club Road at Kimtu Bridge

• Friday Ridge Road at Hwy 299

AIR QUALITY SMOKE ADVISORY

An Air Quality Smoke Advisory has been issued for Willow Creek and surrounding communities, with Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy conditions expected. Periods of Hazardous air quality conditions are possible.

Smoke can cause eye and throat irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing. People who are at greatest risk of experiencing symptoms due to smoke include: those with respiratory disease (such as asthma), those with heart disease, young children, and older adults.These sensitive populations should stay indoors and avoid prolonged activity. All others should limit prolonged or heavy activity and time spent outdoors. Even healthy adults can be affected by smoke. Seek medical help if you have symptoms that worsen or become severe. Consider leaving the area until smoke conditions improve if you have repeated coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, nausea, unusual fatigue, lightheadedness.

RESOURCES FOR THE COMMUNITY

EVACUATION SHELTER

A Red Cross Overnight Evacuation Shelter has been established at Trinity Valley Elementary School, located at 730 Highway 96, Willow Creek, for evacuees displaced by the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire.

LARGE ANIMAL SHELTER

A large animal shelter has been established at the Hoopa Rodeo Grounds, located at 1767 Pine Creek Rd., Hoopa.

USFS FIRE INFORMATION LINE

The United States Forest Service (USFS) - Six Rivers National Forest has established a Fire Information Line for the community. For fire-related information, call 707-356-9442 or email 2022.lightningcomplex@firenet.gov.

DONATION INFORMATION

The Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services is not currently accepting donations.

To volunteer or donate to assist our community, please contact:

Pay it Forward Humboldt
Phone Number: 707-616-9191
Email Address: info@pifhumboldt.org

RESTRICTED AREA ACCESS PASS

The registration period for an Ag or CannAg Restricted Area Access Pass has closed. Pass holders will be contacted by the Office of Emergency Services when it is deemed safe enough to enter evacuation zones to conduct operations as authorized by the program.

SIGN UP FOR EMERGENCY ALERTS

Humboldt County residents are encouraged to sign up for Humboldt Alert to receive local emergency notifications, including information regarding evacuations and emergency sheltering in the event of a wildfire or other emergency incident. Residents can sign up by going to: humboldtgov.org/alerts.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more information regarding the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire, current impact and evacuation areas, please go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency or visit @HumCoOES on Facebook and Twitter. For fire-related information, call 707-356-9442, email 2022.lightningcomplex@firenet.gov, or visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8312/.

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Press release from Six Rivers National Forest:

Yesterday as of 6:00pm California Interagency Incident Management Team 11, led by Incident Commander Chris Fogle, assumed management of the Six Rivers Complex Incident. This morning, the Six Rivers Lightning Complex Fire is 6,773 acres and is 0% contained.

Crews worked overnight in effort stop fire spread. This is a full suppression fire. Firefighters will aggressively fight fire whenever it is safe to do so. Today crews will continue fire suppression efforts with the objective of keeping the fire west of Lone Pine, south of Horse Linto Creek, east of Brannan Ridge and north of Ammon Ridge.

Last year’s snow event left a lot of trees dead and down on the ground. If ignited, these can result in fire behavior that is more substantial than what would usually be anticipated this time of year.

A community meeting is being held today at 3:00pm at the Willow Creek Bible Church located at: 39 Brannan Mountain Road in Willow Creek. This meeting will be in-person and available online on the Six Rivers National Forest Facebook page.

WEATHER:

Today’s weather will be similar to yesterday. The deep inversion resulted in good humidity recovery overnight in the 90% range. Humidity today will drop to 30-40%. Temperatures will be around 80 degrees with higher temperatures in the valleys. General surface winds will be 5-10 mph out of the north and in the afternoon, gusts will be 15 mph.

The inversion and high humidity recovery overnight throughout the day today will moderate fire behavior. The inversion layer is expected to break around 12:00 for the southern fires and around 2:00pm today for the northern fires. Air operations will be possible when the air is clear.

NEW EVACUATION ORDERS HUMBOLDT COUNTY:

HUM-E077-B Zone description: north of Friday Ridge Road, Forest Route 5n01. South of Friday Ridge Road. East of 5n10, 5n09, 5n27 and west for South Fork Road, Forest Route 5n42.

EVACUATION ORDERS HUMBOLDT COUNTY: HUM-E056, HUM-E057, HUM-E058, HUM-E061, HUM-E077-C south and east of Willow Creek.

EVACUATION ORDERS TRINITY COUNTY: Salyer Heights, Salyer Loop, to the bridge at 299 and Campbell Ridge Road.

EVACUATION CENTER: Trinity Valley Elementary School 730 Highway 96, Willow Creek

To find the latest up-to-date evacuation information go to humboldtsheriff.org/emergency, or Humboldt County Office of Emergency Services or Trinity County Office of Emergency Services. Evacuation zones can be found at community.zonehaven.com. If you are under an evacuation warning, be ready to leave.

For more information on the Six Rivers Lightning Complex go to our Inciweb page at: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/8312/

Local fires as of Monday morning.

Press release from the North Coast Unified Air Quality Management District:

The McKinney Fire in Siskiyou is forecast to have Red Flag Warnings with potential for increased fire behavior. However, smoke from the Yeti Fire will continue to impact the communities down the Klamath River drainage, bringing smoke into Orleans and Weitchpec. Heavy smoke from the Six Rivers Lightning Complex is expected to impact Willow Creek and nearby communities with Very Unhealthy to Hazardous air quality. Westerly wind is expected to limit the amount of smoke impacting Weitchpec and Hoopa.

Air quality monitors and the current Air Quality Index (AQI) for communities should be viewed at https://fire.airnow.gov. USFS Air Resource Advisors (ARAs) are assigned to certain fires impacting our area and are providing daily Smoke Outlook Forecasts on one or more of these fires (https://outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net/outlook).

ALERT – Hazardous Conditions (AQI 301 and higher, 24 hr. avg):

• Burnt Ranch, Salyer, Hawkins Bar – Overall Hazardous, with periods of Very Unhealthy

ADVISORY – Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy Conditions (AQI 151-300 range, 24 hr. avg):

Humboldt County:

• Willow Creek - Very Unhealthy, with periods of Hazardous in afternoon, some clearing overnight
• Hyampom – Very Unhealthy, with possible improvement in afternoon

Trinity County:

• Hayfork – Unhealthy this morning, clearing this afternoon, possible heavier smoke tonight

Regional Smoke Outlooks – Good, Moderate, to USG Conditions (AQI 0-150 range):

Humboldt County:

• Eureka (including Scotia to Trinidad) – Good air quality conditions
• Hoopa – Moderate to USG, with periods of Unhealthy to Very Unhealthy
• Orleans – Moderate, with periods of Unhealthy mid-afternoon into evening
• Garberville & Redway – Good

Del Norte County:

• Crescent City – Good air quality conditions
• Gasquet – Good
• Klamath – Good

Trinity County:

• Weaverville – Good
• Douglas City – Good to Moderate
• Trinity Center – Good
• Lewiston – Good

Smoke Impact Summary

The McKinney Fire in Siskiyou is forecast to have Red Flag Warnings with potential for increased fire behavior. Smoke from the Yeti Fire will continue to impact the communities down the Klamath River drainage, bringing smoke into Orleans and Weitchpec. Heavy smoke from the Six Rivers Lightning Complex is expected to impact Willow Creek and nearby communities, with Hazardous air quality much of the day in Burnt Ranch. Periods of Hazardous are also likely in Willow Creek and Hyampom. Westerly wind is expected to limit the amount of smoke impacting Weitchpec and Hoopa.

Particulate Matter (PM2.5) monitors are located in Crescent City, Weitchpec, Hoopa, Weaverville, and Eureka. Air quality monitors and the current Air Quality Index (AQI) for communities should be viewed at https://fire.airnow.gov

Fire information can be found at http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ or https://fire.airnow.gov/. Current weather information can be found at www.wrh.noaa.gov. As with all wildfires, ash fallout is possible depending on fire activity and proximity to the fires. Ash fallout information can be found in the Wildfire Smoke Resources section of our webpage at www.ncuaqmd.org.

Health Information & Actions To Protect Yourself From Smoke Impacts

Concentrations of smoke may vary depending upon location, weather, and distance from the fire. Smoke from wildfires and structure fires contain harmful chemicals that can affect your health. Smoke can cause eye and throat irritation, coughing, and difficulty breathing. People who are at greatest risk of experiencing symptoms due to smoke include: those with respiratory disease (such as asthma), those with heart disease, young children, and older adults.

These sensitive populations should stay indoors and avoid prolonged activity. All others should limit prolonged or heavy activity and time spent outdoors. Even healthy adults can be affected by smoke. Seek medical help if you have symptoms that worsen or become severe.

Follow these general precautions to protect your health during a smoke event:

• Minimize or stop outdoor activities, especially exercise.

• Stay indoors with windows and doors closed as much as possible.

• Do not run fans that bring smoky outdoor air inside – examples include swamp coolers, whole-house fans, and fresh air ventilation systems.

• Run your air-conditioner only if it does not bring smoke in from the outdoors. Change the standard air conditioner filter to a medium or high efficiency filter. If available, use the “re-circulate” or “recycle” setting on the unit.

• Do not smoke, fry food, or do other things that will create indoor air pollution.

Consider leaving the area until smoke conditions improve if you have repeated coughing, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness or pain, palpitations, nausea, unusual fatigue, lightheadedness.

For further information, visit the District’s website at www.ncuaqmd.org or call the District’s Wildfire Response Coordinator at (707) 443-3093 x122.

A little over a year after California launched a program to provide hearing aids for an estimated 2,300 children annually who lack health insurance, it has provided devices to only 39 children.

There have been multiple problems with the Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program. The application process is cumbersome and families with partial insurance coverage are not eligible. For physicians, reimbursement time is long, reimbursement rates are low, and some don’t know about the program or choose not to participate, according to parents and advocates who lobbied the state to fund children’s hearing aids.

The California Department of Health Care Services, which oversees the program, refused to say why the program had served so few children in its first year and refused to let CalMatters interview anyone who works with the program. Instead, department spokesperson Anthony Cava emailed that the agency “has already implemented several key improvements to HACCP to increase access, including implementing an online directory to locate a provider for HACCP-eligible children. DHCS is committed to continuing the ramp-up of this important program, through program operations and outreach activities, to expand the program’s reach.”

The typical cost of children’s hearing aids ranges from $3,000 to $10,000. There are about 7,000 hearing impaired children in California and kids typically need new hearing aids every three years.

Hearing aids for 4-year-old Scarlett Kovacevic cost $3,200 this year. She finally qualified for the program after a frustrating six-month long application process, said her mother Mia Kovacevic. But then, her daughter’s provider, the Sutter Audiology Clinic, would not accept the program because of billing issues with the state.

Sutter does participate in state-run programs, company spokesperson Angie Sheets said in an email.

“As we do for new programs, we are reviewing the program’s requirements and processes to determine participation.”

For Kovacevic, the next-closest provider on the state’s program list is in San Francisco, two hours away from where the family lives in Placer County. So the family opted to stay with Scarlett’s providers and set up a payment plan.

“There was nothing I could do at this point,” Kovacevic said.

Scarlett was diagnosed as a newborn with sensor neural bilateral hearing loss when the family lived in Florida. She had her hearing aids by the time she was 5 months old, courtesy of a Florida program for kids without insurance.

“It felt like this (CA) program was literally making me jump through hoops. Like they just wanted to make it as hard as possible and to slow it down. There was no urgency on it,” Kovacevic said. “In Florida, they wanted to get her fitted with hearing aids as soon as possible.”

In its first year, the Department of Health Care Services received $6.7 million to administer the program and $10 million for services like hearing screenings, earmolds and hearing aids. The program is being operated within Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for low-income families, to utilize its providers and billing reimbursement rates.

This year, the Legislature asked for $5.35 million in additional funds to improve the program and expand benefits to around 1,400 children with partial insurance coverage or high deductible plans who meet the income requirements. Gov. Gavin Newsom did not include that request to expand the program in the final budget.

Advocates hope the extra money for expanded coverage will be included in a budget amendment, expected this month.

“Families are struggling to afford the cost of medically necessary hearing aids for their children,” said Michelle Marciniak, a parent of a hearing-impaired child and co-founder of ​​Let California Kids Hear, a coalition working to ensure deaf and hard-of-hearing children have access to hearing aids and expert care. Marciniak said parents rack up debt, host fundraisers, or rely on extended family and friends for financial help, while some children go without hearing aids for months at a time.

“They are making difficult decisions and devastating tradeoffs for their families to obtain hearing aids so that their child can hear, learn and connect with the world,” she said.

California’s program focuses solely on the hearing impaired children without health insurance. The families it serves make too much money to qualify for Medi-Cal, or California Children’s Services, which assists families with children with certain disabilities. Families who qualify for the hearing aid program earn between 138% and 600% of the federal poverty level, or about $38,295 to $166,000 a year for a family of four.

“They are making difficult decisions and devastating tradeoffs for their families to obtain hearing aids so that their child can hear, learn and connect with the world.”
—Michelle Marciniak, a parent of a hearing-impaired child and co-founder of ​​Let California Kids Hear

Advocates had hoped the program would ease the burden for families with some insurance coverage, but it does not include them because it focuses only on those without any coverage for hearing services or hearing aids. Commercial health insurers offer a range of coverage, from zero benefits to some coverage, such as $500 to 1,000 toward hearing aids. Medi-Cal and California Children’s Services cover the full cost of hearing aids for enrolled children.

Early access to hearing aids is critical for infants and children who are hearing impaired. Children who cannot access sound as soon as possible lose speech, language, and social-emotional development, according to a 2020 study in the journal Pediatrics. Children have the best outcomes when they receive hearing aids or cochlear implants before 6 months of age, the study found.

Once that development time is lost it cannot be regained, said Dr. Dylan Chan, director of the Children’s Communications Center at UCSF and a pediatric ear, nose and throat doctor at UC San Francisco Benioff Children’s Hospital.

“There is a cascade of effects and all of those things can be mitigated by a kid having easy access to hearing aids,” Chan said. “It is really frustrating because this is something we know works.”

One in 500 U.S. babies is born deaf or hard of hearing, Chan said.

As of July 6, 2022, the program has received about 200 applications. Of those, 83 have been enrolled and 92 applicants have been denied. Families were denied because their incomes were high enough to exceed the program’s limits or low enough to qualify their children for Medi-Cal. Others were denied because they had some insurance coverage, or they submitted an incomplete application, according to the Department of Health Care Services.

“There is a cascade of effects and all of those things can be mitigated by a kid having easy access to hearing aids.”
Dr. Dylan Chan, director of the Children’s Communications Center at UCSF

One of the chief complaints from providers and families, said Marciniak, of Let California Kids Hear, has been providers not being reimbursed quickly or at all because the billing system was not fully set up for the program. Kovacevic said this is why her daughter’s doctors in Sacramento weren’t participating in the program.

During a hearing in February, Department of Health Care Services chief deputy director Jacey Cooper told senators that the agency released billing codes for the program over several months and that more would go live between February and May. But in June, the agency was still tweaking the program and releasing codes.

The email the department spokesperson sent CalMatters said the department has improved its billing code system after consulting with experts.

Doctors can opt onto the list, but very few have because they do not treat children or have chosen not to participate. In Los Angeles County, there are three providers. In Sacramento County, there are none.

Marciniak, of Let California Children Hear, said many of the state’s largest providers are not taking the program based on a survey by the organization.

Katharine Weir-Ebster, spokesperson for the Department of Health Care Services, wrote in an email that while the number of doctors on the program list is limited, any of the thousands of Medi-Cal providers can see the children in the program “within their scope of practice.” Medi-Cal providers include 84 enrolled audiologists and an additional 1,010 early and periodic screening, diagnosis and treatment providers. The department does not know how many of these are pediatric providers who specialize in working with children.

Advocates say most Medi-Cal providers do not have the qualifications or equipment to serve children. In order to get hearing aids in California, a child under 16 must get a recommendation from “both a board-certified, or a board-eligible physician specializing in otolaryngology, or the head and neck, and by a state licensed audiologist,” according to state law.

Pediatric audiologist Dr. Mary Frintner said she understands why many providers are not taking the program. They may only treat adults, and adding children means buying more equipment and adding expertise. In addition, they may not have the right systems to process the paperwork required to get paid.

Frintner, who was the only practitioner in Los Angeles last year and is now one of three, said treating children is more than just having different equipment or smaller ear molds on hand. It’s understanding how hearing loss impacts the whole child.

“Their brains are developing, their speech and language is developing. You have to have different skill levels, different test equipment and a different knowledge base,” Frintner said. “For me, it’s the patients I’ve already been seeing.”

But she is considering opting out, she said. It’s a lot of paperwork, data entry and approvals even before the child visits for the first time. Reimbursement is slower than it is with other state programs, she said, and her office staff often are submitting and resubmitting information to the state.

Frintner said she has not been paid for any of the services or hearing aids she provided through the program since she joined in July 2021.

Every child she treats on state programs is considered a financial loss, she said. Which is why she sometimes finds that after paying her staff and other bills there isn’t money left to pay herself.

“Thankfully I have a small staff and we work our buns off,” she said. “I love all my patients, the joy I see when I put a hearing aid on a child for the time or new ones or when I test a child and we are able to tell parents that their child is OK. That’s what I get, which makes me rich.”

In 2019, legislation that would have required private insurers to fully cover children’s hearing aids was headed to Newsom’s desk, said Mike Odeh, of Children Now, which supported the effort.

The bill was opposed by the California Association of Health Plans, the Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies, and America’s Health Insurance Plans.

Before it could get to Newsom, Santa Monica Democratic Assemblyman Richard Bloom pulled the bill. Bloom’s office said it was pulled because the hearing aid program was going to be included in the budget.

In Sacramento, Kimberly Nguyen, a deaf single mom of two girls who are hard of hearing, thought her daughters would qualify for the program, even though her insurance pays $1,000 toward hearing aids. Her daughter’s devices run about $6,000 for each girl every three years.

“I was thrilled when it passed. I was shocked to find out that I didn’t qualify,” said Nguyen, who had advocated for the bill and testified before the Legislature with her daughters. “I felt it was a waste of time. I waited three years.”

Every month Nguyen saves money for the next round of hearing aids for her girls, 10 and 7, and herself. She has foregone vacations, days off work and extra activities for her kids to put money away for the hearing aids. Only recently did she pay for a soccer program, which the girls love.

“My kids love to sing, love to dance, love to watch movies. It’s a quality of life issue,” she said.

Chloe, the 7-year-old, has been wearing her old hearing aids while her mom waits for the program to include kids with partial insurance. Chloe said she wants purple devices but said her mom told her to be sure because she will have them a long time.

Nguyen, who works for the California Department of Rehabilitation, is already thinking about how she will have to buy Chloe’s new pair of hearing aids soon because the state may not change the program soon enough, or ever.

“I feel it’s not fair. She is losing access to the world,” she said. “I’m going to have to buy them.”

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Two additional areas have been ordered to evacuate in response to the Six Rivers Lightning Complex — a grouping of eight wildfires surrounding the Willow Creek area.

Zones added to the mandatory evacuation list:

HUM-E056

• North Bigfoot Scenic Byway, River Bend Road, Peach Tree Lane, Patterson Road
• South of Bigfoot Scenic Byway, Horse Linto Creek Road
• East of Orchard Lane
• West of Horse Linto Creek Road

HUM-E057

• North of Seeley Mc Intosh Road
• South of Patterson Road
• East of River Bend Road, Patterson Road
• West of Moonset Lane

An evacuation center has been set up in Willow Creek at Trinity Valley Elementary School at 730 Highway 96.

As of this morning, the size of the complex was reported to be 1,101 acres in size and 0 percent contained.

“Warm temperatures today could contribute to more extreme fire behavior,” the fire’s incident management team stated. “Firefighters will continue to provide protection for structures, infrastructure, and wildlife habitat.”

There is concern that the Six Rivers Lightning Complex could affect water quality in Humboldt County’s rivers, potentially causing a fish kill in the South Fork of the Trinity River. The McKinney Fire burning in Siskiyou County recently caused a large die-off in the Klamath River, impacting upcoming tribal ceremonies.

All areas under mandatory evacuation:

HUM-E077-C

• North of Forest Route 5n32
• South of Friday Ridge Road
• South Fork Road
• East of Forest Route 5n37
• West of South Fork Road, Carpenter Road

HUM-E061

• North of Forest Route 7n15
• South of Seeley Mc Intosh Road
• East of Seeley Mc Intosh Road, Campbell Ridge Road
• West of Forest Route 7n15

HUM-E058

• North of Forest Route 7n15
• South of Horse Linto Creek Road
• East of Peach Tree Lane WEST OF Coon Creek Rd, Forest Route 7n15

Areas under evacuation warning:

HUM-E063

• North of Forest Route 6n39, Friday Ridge Road
• South of Forest Rt 6n33
• East of Friday Ridge Road
• West of Friday Ridge Road, Riteway Lane
  HUM-E064
• North of Trinity Highway, Wood Lane, Friday Ridge Road
• South of Campbell Ridge Road, Triple R Lane, Butterfly Creek Road, Kimberly Drive, Trinity Highway
• East of Trinity Highway
• West of Wood Lane, Campbell Ridge Road
  

HUM-E077-B

• North of Friday Ridge Road, Forest Route 5n01
• South of Friday Ridge Road
• East of 5n10, 5n09, 5n27
• West of South Fork Road, Forest Route 5n42

“If you are under an evacuation warning, be ready and don’t wait until the last minute to leave,” the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has stated.

Evacuation orders have also been issued in Trinity County for Salyer Heights, Salyer Loop to the bridge at Highway 299, and Campbell Ridge Road.

Additional ground and air firefighting teams have been ordered, and are currently traveling to the fire’s location for deployment.