To Your (Mental) Health
Health fairs tend to focus on what ails us physically rather than mentally, says Rancho Santa Fe’s Muffy Walker. So this month, Walker, who has a master’s degree in psychiatric nursing, has organized a Mental Health Fair at the Rancho Santa Fe Community Center, bringing together more than 30 national and local organizations to explore such issues as autism, teen depression, suicide, and overcoming learning disabilities. "I’m just amazed at the number of resources that are around," says Walker. Walker says movies like A Beautiful Mind about schizophrenia have begun to shed some light on mental illness. But old attitudes die hard. "Most people remember One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest," she says. "That’s what they think of when they think of mental health patients, which is clearly not what it is today." The media still focus on the "very small percentage of patients out there that are very sick and not well-managed by the system." And she notes celebrities are skittish about aligning themselves with mental health issues. "The celebrities are flocking to the podium" when it comes to diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson’s, Lou Gehrig’s, and breast cancer, says Walker. "But when you ask them to step to the plate and be an honorary chair for a [mental health] fundraiser, you can’t even get the time of day." Walker hopes the Mental Health Fair will not only decrease the stigma but also educate the public about available resources. The fair, on Saturday, May 12, from 10am-2pm, is free. (858/342-0327, muffwalk@aol.com)
— Andrea Naversen

Fresh Feet
For busy beauties on the go, Farm Fresh Foot Scrub brings the world of soft and nourished feet right to your own bathtub. Available in three delectable scents — Early Apple, Sweet Cream, and Whipped Honey — the scrubs are formulated with fine-grain sea salts infused with vitamin E-rich rice bran oil, long used in Japan for its moisturizing properties. The trio set features three six-ounce, vintage-looking jelly jars and a cute wooden scooping spoon. Individual 10.5-ounce jars are also available. (888/773-9626, www.summersoles.com)
— Jane Shiomi

Alexei Ochola, Richard Woo, Zara Marselian, and Linas Naujokaitis

A Healthy Green
The first ever California Green Summit in Sacramento took place last month. The event was created to support state and government efforts to implement green services, products, and solutions. San Diego’s La Maestra Community Health Centers participated, sharing its plans and artistic rendering of its future three-story, 34,660- square-foot community healthcare center that will seek United States Green Building Council LEED Gold Certification. The new facility will be built just a block away from the existing health center in City Heights this September. It will offer primary medical services, dental care, behavioral health, vision, geriatric care, housing assistance, job training, and job placement for San Diego residents. Currently, La Maestra serves more than 23,000 people a year with a staff of 147 doctors, nurses, counselors, and social workers who speak 19 different languages and dialects. (www.lamaestra.org)
— Alicia Garcia