Bay Area

Setting Down Healthy ‘Roots’ in Oakland

The main office is located at 9925 International Blvd., Oakland, CA, 94603 and they can be reached by calling 510-777-1177.

Published

4 years ago

July 23, 2021

Christy Price

Roots Health Center located at 7272 MacArthur Blvd. in East Oakland. Photo courtesy of Roots Community Health Center website.

What began as a program with the primary focus on the needs of men re-entering society from prison, or who have mental health and substance abuse issues and young single fathers without a traditional support system has grown deep Roots in the Oakland community.

Roots Community Health Center now provides community members and college students not only the high-quality, comprehensive health care they deserve to live a healthy life but also valuable referrals such as help with employment, housing, food, diapers, internet and more so that people can focus on their dreams without jumping over hurdles.

Roots opened in 2008 to address the troubling health issues in East Oakland. The organizers envision a nation “where all communities of African descent are resilient, healthy, self-sufficient and self-determined,” according to their website. Like the root system of the oak trees that line the streets of Oakland, Roots has also been growing and taking hold throughout the Greater Bay Area.

Roots now has locations in Berkeley, Oakland, and San Jose and offices in more cities are just around the corner. The main office is located at 9925 International Blvd., Oakland, CA, 94603 and they can be reached by calling 510-777-1177. Visit the Roots website for more information and locations.

Peralta College students with valid student ID can seek Roots services at any of the campuses at Laney, Merritt, Berkeley City College and the College of Alameda.

One of the most important services that Roots provides is the power of home and facility-based care to the uninsured and underinsured. Health and mental health services are provided on-site at re-entry programs, transitional housing, rehabilitation facilities and patient residences located in Oakland. This eliminates the need for transportation on the client’s part, a problem for a lot of people in East Oakland.

Roots is always looking for volunteers to fill a variety of needs which can help enrich both community life as well as the volunteer’s life. Check out the positions Roots needs to fill here.

Christy Price

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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4 days ago

May 30, 2025

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

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1 week ago

May 25, 2025

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Bay Area

Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.