March 24, 2023 County Update

County Public Works crews, who have been working non-stop since Monday morning, have been servicing County-maintained public roads and have cleared most of them in the majority of the county’s snow-affected communities. They expect to make all County-maintained public roads passable, even those in the toughest-to-serve areas, within the next 48 hours.

Public Works has more than 100 pieces of snow equipment deployed in the mountains. Crews will continue to service and re-service roads during and after the storm. Residents should be aware that a snowplow not being visible on your street does not mean County crews are not out in full force. Plowing all county thoroughfares and roads takes time, and priority is given to main arteries. They will arrive.

The public can track the County’s progress on the Snow Report Status Dashboard, which has been redesigned and updated for the current storm.

San Bernardino County is connecting residents with county, state and non-profit resources to help mitigate impacts from the storm at three Local Assistance Centers in Running Springs, Crestline and Wrightwood.  These one-stop resource centers are open to all County residents, regardless of what community they live in.

Charles Hoffman Elementary School

2851 Running Springs School Rd., Running Springs CA 92382

Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26 

10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Valley of Enchantment Elementary School

22836 Fir Lane, Crestline, CA 92325 

Saturday, March 25 and Sunday, March 26

10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Wrightwood Place

770  State Highway 2, Wrightwood, CA 92397

Tuesday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 29

10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The following County departments will be on site:

Aging and Adult Services

Assessor-Recorder-Clerk

Behavioral Health

Economic Development

Office of the Fire Marshal

Land Use Services

Public Health

Public Works

Transitional Assistance Department

Veterans Affairs

Workforce Development

Participating State agencies include:

Cal OES-Office of Emergency Services

Contractors State License Board

Department of Insurance

Department of Motor Vehicles

Employment Development Department

Franchise Tax Board

Dates and hours of operation could be affected by weather conditions. Please call the Storm Information Line at 909-387-3911 or check the County’s social media platforms for updates. 

The County will provide food distribution at each of the LACs while supplies last.

We encourage everyone age 18 or older, who may be interested in volunteering, to visit the HR recruitment website (opens March 25) to learn more! Creating a safe, clean, and loving environment for the animals under the County’s care while maximizing adoptions are top priorities of the Animal Care team and they are looking forward to partnering with volunteers in this shared vision. 

The department has four incredible volunteer opportunities available: 

Animal Care Host 

• Greet visitors in the front office and offer tours. 
• Help introduce adoptable animals to a potential adopter. 
• Share tips you’ve learned about how to be a good pet parent and inform people about the benefits of adopting. 
• Share resources with potential adopters. 

Enrichment Specialist Volunteer 

• Support dogs or cats with walking, bathing, and multi-dog playgroup activities. 
• Pet and comfort dogs, cats, and rabbits. 
• Read to animals. 

Outreach Team Volunteer 

• Photograph animals, write about them, and submit drafts to the Media Team and Volunteer Coordinator to be shared online. 
• Attend community events with the Outreach Team and help promote pet adoptions, responsible pet ownership, and shelter prevention. 

Shelter Services Volunteer 

• Help ensure kennel cards, adoption and/or ‘rescue only’ signs are up to date. 
• Organize and track inventory and donated goods. 
• Support with cleaning and feeding animals. 
• Wash and dry blankets for kennels. 

Additional opportunities may continue to be added as needs are identified. To learn more about how to apply to become a volunteer and the minimum requirements, please visit animalcare.sbcounty.gov/volunteer.

If you or someone you know may be interested in volunteering with the Animal Care team and joining in on the mission of providing excellence in compassionate service to the people and pets of our community, we encourage you to apply. 

During the full roadway closure, both eastbound (EB) and westbound (WB) 1-10 Cedar Ave. on- and off-ramps will also be closed.

Once restriped, southbound Cedar Ave. will have one dedicated right turn lane onto the WB I-10 on-ramp, one through lane, and one dedicated left turn lane onto the EB I-10 on-ramp.

Northbound Cedar Ave. will have one through lane (with access to the EB I-10 on-ramp), and one dedicated left turn lane onto the WB I-10 on-ramp.

The new traffic pattern will be in effect for approximately 12 months while crews widen the Cedar Ave. bridge over the freeway and railroad tracks.

I-10 Cedar Avenue project construction alerts, project updates and an interactive map detailing lane closures and detours is available on the SBCTA website.

Sign up for weekly text message construction alerts by texting i10Cedar to (888) 525-1021 (Reply STOP to cancel, text HELP for help. Normal text and data message rates apply).

Renovations will ensure that the site complies with current ADA and Environmental Health regulations. The funds will also be used to enhance the kitchen and facilities and increase the facility’s accessibility. In addition, the renovated amenity will provide a space for visitors to buy personal necessities and camping gear.  Learn about the project in this video.

Almost 29,000 cars accessed the park in 2020–21, and 5,816 reservations were made for campsites for RVs and tents. Prado Park looks forward to welcoming new and repeat visitors in the coming years and this renovation will ensure the best experience for everyone who visits.

Amir A. Rahnemai Azar, M.D. (above), has been the head of the hepatopancreatobiliary and oncology surgery at ARMC’s Cancer Care Center for more than two years. He comes to ARMC with extensive experience in surgery. After earning his Doctor of Medicine degree in Iran, he completed his general surgery residency at New York’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine Bronx Hospital, his multi-organ transplant residency at the University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, and his complex surgical oncology fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin. In addition to being board-certified in all three disciplines, he received advanced training in minimally invasive liver, pancreas, and gastrointestinal oncology surgery at the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, South Korea.­­­

“After all this training and experience, I always had a dream of giving back to the community,” stated Dr. Azar. “When I visited Arrowhead, I felt that our population in the Inland Empire is in urgent need of having an advanced cancer surgery program.”

This advanced cancer surgery program was spearheaded by Dr. Azar in collaboration with ARMC’s Hospital Director, William Gilbert, and the Department of Surgery Chairman, Dev GnanaDev, M.D. San Bernardino County is the nation’s largest county by area, and the team at ARMC found it vital to give its large, diverse patient population immediate access to the highest standard of cancer care and surgery, which includes the Whipple procedure.

Also referred to as pancreaticoduodenectomy, the Whipple procedure is an advanced surgery that targets the most complex area in the abdominal cavity and removes multiple organs that may be impacted by abdominal cancer—including the pancreas, duodenum, stomach, and lymph nodes in the area.

While patients with abdominal cancer have the option of chemotherapy, ischemic therapy, or radiation therapy, surgical resection such as the Whipple procedure is the only curative option. However, due to the surgery’s complexity, it is not offered in many major cancer surgery centers. The procedure requires multidisciplinary teams—that include oncology, gastroenterology service, and radiation oncology—to bring together highly specialized knowledge to prepare the patient for surgery and provide optimal outcomes. As a result, many patients struggle to find cancer surgery centers that can perform the surgery.

Dr. Azar and the other members of ARMC’s Cancer Care Center have a vital message for the members of their community. “We would really like to let our population know that if they have disease, if they have cancer in this area, it’s not the end,” said Dr. Azar. “There is hope, and at Arrowhead, we are able to perform this surgery to the highest standard.”

Dr. Azar stated, “Here at Arrowhead, in view of our population, it is important in our efforts to resolve the disparity in care in such a diverse area.”

ARMC is committed to combating the financial barriers that can prevent patients from seeking treatment. ARMC accepts both Medicare and Medi-Cal coverage and has numerous financial assistance programs in place to help their patients receive the care they need.

Dr. Azar concludes, “The future belongs to minimally invasive surgery. And here at Arrowhead, we are on the front line of providing minimally invasive surgery for liver and pancreas cancers.”