Community News

New Charter School

On August 24th, We the People Public School (WTP), a charter school focusing on youth empowerment and enabling students to envision, design and create a better world, opens for its inaugural class with a 100% distance learning model in Long Beach, CA.

We the People Public School will offer coursework that utilizes the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for student achievement and meets California’s A-G Requirements.

We the People Public School will open with 50 students in grade 9, growing to serve 360 students in grades 9-12 when operating at full capacity. The school is authorized by the Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), which currently authorizes 24 other charter schools in Los Angeles County.

The school facility is located on Long Beach Boulevard below PCH, joining the education innovation campus that includes Intellectual Virtues Academy Public Charter High School and Centro Cha, Inc. This location was chosen in part for accessibility to the Metro Blue line as well as proximity to the Long Beach civic center.

We the People Public High School is currently accepting applications for enrollment and is holding site visits and tours one-on-one, following public health guidelines. Prospective students and families may contact Anita Ravi, executive director and principal, at anitaravi@wethepeopleps.org for questions.

LBCC Winter 2021 Intersession Online Only

Long Beach City College officials have announced that Winter 2021 intersession classes will be conducted entirely online. Winter intersession term will take place Jan. 4 – Feb. 6, 2021.

LBCC is currently revising the Winter schedule that will be made available on Sept. 21 at www.LBCC.edu. Registration for classes will begin Oct. 19. Community members can visit the LBCC website to sign up for classes.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Liberal Arts Campus and Pacific Coast Campus have been closed to the public since mid-March 2020 and LBCC classes have been taught remotely. Fall 2020 Semester is being taught mostly online, with select essential labs in the Career Technical Education and Health Science areas conducted in-person.

MemorialCare Among America’s Best Hospitals

In a rigorous assessment of more than 4,500 adult hospitals, U.S. News & World Report recognized MemorialCare’s Long Beach Medical Center as among America’s Best Hospital and/or “high performing” in 15 clinical categories.

In addition to Long Beach Medical Center’s national ranking in urology and numerous other high performing clinical categories, recently Miller Children’& Women’s Hospital Long Beach was ranked by U.S. News & World Report as a U.S. “Best Children’s Hospital” for pulmonary & lung surgery.

The annual Best Hospitals rankings and ratings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions and common elective procedures. Rankings are based largely on measures such as risk-adjusted survival, quality of nursing and other indicators.

One of the nation’s 10 largest children’s hospitals, Miller Children’s & Women’s Hospital ranks among U.S. News & World Report’s America’s Best Children’s Hospitals for pulmonary & lung surgery. Known for successful management of diseases like asthma, cystic fibrosis and neuromuscular weakness disorders, it is California’s only free-standing children’s hospital and among a few in the U.S. with Disease Specific Certification in Pediatric Asthma from The Joint Commission.

Recognized as one of the safest places to have a baby, among the nation’s largest and most recognized neonatal and pediatric intensive care units and for advances in pediatric cancer care and cardiology, Long Beach Medical Center & Miller Children’s together are among the West’s two largest hospital campuses.

Windes Firm Moving to Kilroy Airport Center

Effective Monday, August 3, CPA firm Windes will be in a new Long Beach Office. After 94 years located in downtown Long Beach, they will now be adjacent to the Long Beach Airport at 3780 Kilroy Airport Way, Suite 600.

“This centralized location off the 405 freeway will make interacting with the majority of our clients and key contacts more efficient. Though it’s an end of an era, it’s also a new chapter and will be great for morale where our team can continue to thrive while serving our clients and contacts,” according to a news release.

The newly built state-of-the-art office is at the Kilroy Airport Center.

Passport to the Arts Summer Camp

Passport to the Arts showcases the cultural and artistic traditions of prominent cultural groups in Long Beach. Learning about these groups fosters student tolerance and appreciation of cultural diversity. Long Beach third and fourth graders receive interdisciplinary arts education and cultural enrichment through dance, visual art, music, or theater.

As we re-envision the Passport to the Arts Program under the current safer at home orders due to COVID-19, Arts Council teaching artists have developed virtual programming over the summer. Join us weekdays at Noon for our virtual Passport to the Arts Summer Camp from July 27 to August 28, 2020.

Videos will be available on the Arts Council YouTube Channel@artscouncil4lb and will be on the Arts Council’s Facebook page @artscouncil4lb.

Visit artslb.org for more information.

New Leadership at Center

The LGBTQ Center Long Beach (the “Center”), a leader in advancing equity for LGBTQ people through culturally responsive advocacy, education, programs and services, is pleased to announce the hiring of Myron Day as director of development. In addition to Day’s hiring, Chief Financial Officer & General Counsel Andrew Dorado will assume the role of interim executive director of the Center.

Day has more than 20 years of experience building nonprofit organizations focused on education, child abuse, divorce, domestic violence and poverty. He has raised millions of dollars to help several nonprofits expand their operations to better serve constituents and raise public awareness of important challenges facing our nation.

As of July 1, Andrew Dorado has been the interim executive director. Dorado has worked with the Center for more than four years. During his tenure he has been instrumental in professionalizing the Center’s financial reporting, created new operational performance metrics and helped to secure funding leading to the direct the expansion of legal services at the Center.

2nd/PCH New Store

The Solution has experienced a rapid ascension to become Southern California’s leader for proactive health and wellness services with the launch of its third location on August 1 in the upscale 2nd & PCH retail center.

Launched by renowned health entrepreneur Joe Barnes, The Solution has become the go-to destination for personalized nutrition and IV hydration services focused on boosting immunity, weight loss, and anti-aging. Recently, The Solution has begun offering best-of-class testing for COVID-19, including antibody testing and asymptomatic screening for the virus.

The chain boasts advanced diagnostic testing, a plethora of IV solutions, NAD, vitamin boosters and custom-made nutrition-focused programs.

For more information on The Solution and its array of proactive health and wellness services, or to schedule a consultation, visit www.thesolutioniv.com.

Diabetes Scholar

Diego Burgos, 18, of Long Beach, has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship through Diabetes Scholars, a program of nonprofit organization Beyond Type 1, as he prepares to continue his studies at Stanford University in the fall. He graduated from Loyola High School of Los Angeles.

Burgos has been doing advocacy work since the age of 7, when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. In addition to being involved in the local JDRF chapter, he is a DKA Advocate for Beyond Type 1. Through his work as a DKA Advocate, he’s helped raise awareness of the symptoms of diabetes, which is especially critical today as people grapple with the effects the pandemic has had on their health and healthcare access.

As a part of his educational outreach, he researched and personally contacted more than 140 pediatric residency programs and organizations around the country, with the hope they’d improve education around the warning signs of diabetes.

Diabetes Scholars, a program of nonprofit organization Beyond Type 1, is awarding over 50 scholarships to students living with Type 1 diabetes this year. $150,000 in combined scholarships will be awarded to the Class of 2020 entering their first year of college – a record total for the program.

Virtual Summer Kids Club

From July 27 to August 21, the Aquarium of the Pacific will offer its Summer Kids Club as part of its Online Academy programming. This will include the existing Online Academy classes bundled with take-home activities, like scavenger hunts, crafts, coloring sheets and guided explorations of the Aquarium’s exhibit webcams.

The aquarium will offer two sessions, each lasting one week, for various grade levels (the week’s content repeats, so students can participate in both sessions). Half-hour online classes led by an aquarium educator for each grade level will be offered every weekday at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Classes are available for the following grade levels: pre-K to kindergarten, kindergarten to second grade, third to fifth grade, and sixth to twelfth grade. No sign-ups are required, and participation is free.

The Summer Kids Club is part of the Aquarium of the Pacific’s Online Academy, which offers free live and on-demand educational resources for both kids and adults. In addition to its virtual programming, the aquarium is also welcoming visitors to explore its outdoor exhibits with advance reservations and safety protocols in place.

For more information, you can visit the aquarium’s website at aquariumofpacific.org.

Rotary Club Welcomes Incoming President

On July 8, The Rotary Club of Long Beach kicked off its 2020-2021 year by welcoming Matt Kinley as its 104th president. To comply with current restrictions on gatherings, the meeting was held in cyberspace – by video conferencing.

“Rotary is an organization that embraces the wisdom of reinvention,” said Kinley in his first message to Club members as he announced the theme of his presidential year, “Reimagining Rotary.”

“We had been planning some exciting new meeting format changes, and COVID-19 stepped up our timetable,” said Kinley. “Even before the pandemic, we had been considering hybrid meetings, a combination of in-person and virtual streaming to accommodate members who couldn’t attend our weekly meetings on the Queen Mary. Whenever social distancing restrictions are lifted, we will continue to offer the choice of virtual attendance at face-to-face meetings.”

The club has a 103-year history of helping the local community, and Kinley plans to continue that legacy with giving and service projects for the immediate needs of the Long Beach community.

Kinley emphasizes that Rotary’s mission and goals remain steadfast, and members of the Rotary Club of Long Beach will continue to serve their community and stay true to Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self.”

Efficient COVID-19 Testing

Residents in need of all types of COVID-19 testing – for a prior or an active infection – need look no further than Urgent Care Pros, in Lakewood. This urgent care is one of very few medical facilities in Los Angeles County currently offering Rapid COVID-19 Testing, which tests for an active/current infection and provides results within 15 minutes.

The state-of-the-art urgent care also offers COVID-19 Antibody Testing. Both tests are available on a walk-in basis with no appointment necessary.

Newly opened in 2020, Urgent Care Pros offers x-rays, blood work, medications and more on-site. Board-certified emergency physician Dr. Terry O’Neil, founder of Urgent Care Pros, emphasizes compassion, respect and quality of care above all else. Customer service is paramount to him and his staff, which has made Urgent Care Pros a destination for fast, accurate and affordable service at a fraction of the price of emergency rooms.

In addition to all COVID-19 testing and regular urgent care needs, Urgent Care Pros also handles occupational medicine needs, including health investigations and testing services for companies, municipalities, and other organizations. Urgent Care Pros can rapidly screen employees for COVID-19 for safe and efficient medical care.

Urgent Care Pros is located at 5424 Woodruff Ave., Lakewood.