On April 12, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer revealed the city of San Diego\u2019s Fiscal Year 2019 proposed budget of $553 million, which is the city\u2019s largest infrastructure investment to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re continuing to put neighborhoods first by maintaining the key services we\u2019ve restored in recent years and making the largest infrastructure investment in San Diego history,\u201d Mayor Faulconer said.<\/p>\n
The increased funding will be supporting 390 miles of street repair, increased library and recreation center operating hours, the Climate Action Plan, Pure Water San Diego, Vision Zero safety measures, Clean SD, and programs to combat homelessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis balanced budget will keep our foot on the pedal when it comes to fixing more roads, helping people into stable housing, keeping libraries and rec centers open for children, creating more housing affordability for working families, and putting more police officers on the street to protect our communities,\u201d Faulconer continued.<\/p>\n
As part of the Fiscal Year 2019 budget, the city projects improving revenue from property (5.5 percent), sales (3 percent) and hotel taxes (5.3 percent). View the entire proposed budget at sandiego.gov\/fm\/proposed<\/a>.<\/p>\n In response to the growing national opioid crisis, Mission Hills resident and Scripps Mercy physician Valerie Norton, M.D., has launched a program aiming to reduce opioid usage.<\/p>\n \u201cOur goal is to return patients to healthy function as soon as possible without putting them at risk for opioid dependency or the side effects of opioid usage,\u201d Dr. Norton said. \u201cThis means taking advantage of all other pain management options before considering opioids.\u201d<\/p>\n According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of opioid-related deaths involve a prescription opioid, including drugs such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone.<\/p>\n The initiative emphasizes educating patients about opioids, maximizing other types of pain management solutions, disposing of unused opioids safely, educating medical staff on opioid prescription and postoperative opioid management.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can and must do everything possible to reverse this dangerous trend, starting by limiting and monitoring post-discharge opioid usage, and using other proven and effective methods to manage pain,\u201d said Jonathan Worsey, M.D., co-chair of the surgery care line at Scripps Health and one of several physicians leading the Scripps Opioid Stewardship Program (OSP).<\/p>\nUptown physician launches new program<\/h3>\n