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Every Monday morning, Substance-Use Counselor Michelle Araquistain spends four hours at Stagg High School, holding 1-on-1 sessions with students trying to cope with the challenges of adolescence in Stockton in the aftermath of COVID. She visits Stockton Unified’s Edison, Franklin and Chavez high schools Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

“The students may not be using,” says Ronnie Gallardo, CMC’s Substance Use Counselor Team Lead. “But seeing someone use around them or being around those individuals affects them internally. Michelle’s job is to touch bases with them and provide support, to open their eyes to a better life, better decision-making as grownups.”

Michelle and Social Worker/Case Manager Elizabeth Gates are on the front lines of CMC’s growing youth enrichment and SUD program. In addition to her high school stops, Michelle also holds biweekly group sessions at the Children’s Home of Stockton, and Elizabeth sees young people at California Street Pediatrics on Mondays and at Lodi Vine on Fridays.

“It’s all about meeting them where they’re at, just like with any adult, and getting to them sooner than later,” Michelle says.

Elizabeth adds, “If we can target the youth first, getting them the help and support they need, when they become adults, they’ll have resources. Even parents now don’t know about or have those resources for themselves or their children. Providing information, resources and outreach now is beneficial for them later on.”

That adolescence can be challenging is hardly a revelation. But CMC’s team has observed that many of today’s youth remain burdened by the lingering effects of social disconnection that were part of the COVID-19 pandemic. The social connections that have always been a key part of in-person schooling frayed as students found themselves attending classes at home on their electronic devices.

“They want to just stay home,” Elizabeth says. “It’s hard for them to figure out what they like, what their hobbies are. Social media, too, brings a lot of isolation.”

About 140 students are in the program, but the goal is for it to grow beyond Stockton Unified to include the other school districts in San Joaquin County, along with the San Joaquin County Office of Education’s one.Program alternative school sites, says Ronnie. He adds that he ultimately envisions group sessions with young people as well as with parents.

“A lot of times parents are in denial,” Michelle says. “They don’t even know that their kids are using substances. And the kids don’t want their parents to know. That’s a barrier. We work on communication and trust, and eventually we get to the point where we can work collaboratively.”

Chief Medical Officer Benjamin Morrison adds, “Our pediatrics team and behavioral health team work closely together to help identify at-risk youth and to help get them into the care they need. With the addition of new SUD providers and team members, we aim to be able to expand our services to reach more at-risk youth throughout San Joaquin County, and to meet their substance-use disorder needs, whether it be medical or behavioral treatments.”

Ronnie is eager to raise awareness of this growing segment of CMC’s behavioral-health services.

He says, “I think this is the time for us to say, ‘We’re here.’ ”

Desperate for answers to an undiagnosed health issue that stretched back at least five years, Brittany Brown logged on last May for her first appointment — via video — with CMC Vacaville Family Practitioner Alexiel Zhang, MD.

Brittany, who was 28 when she first spoke to Alexiel, described the dizzying series of medical missteps that finally led her to CMC. At 23, her feet had suddenly started growing, her period had stopped, her nose and lips had gotten bigger, her teeth had shifted, and she was beset by overwhelming fatigue and depression.

She had visited a podiatrist who simply told her “feet grow” and that “it can happen,” even when the feet belong to a 23-year-old. Another physician checked her thyroid and told her, “You’re just depressed.” Another told her she could be “pre-menopausal.” Yet another diagnosed her with migraine headaches and gave her a medication she could only take six times a month.

“I would lock myself in a dark room, curl up into a ball and cry,” Brittany recalls.

Finally, she asked Medi-Cal to assign her to CMC, because Alexiel was available for new patients and Brittany hoped a female physician would be understanding. It took only one appointment with Alexiel for Brittany to feel a new sentiment: hope.

“It was amazing to have someone finally listen and know I wasn’t crazy and making stuff up,” Brittany says.

Soon after, Brittany arrived at Vacaville with her mother for an in-person appointment. “This is what I think it might be,” Alexiel told her.

Alexiel diagnosed Brittany with acromegaly, a rare condition in which the body produces too much growth hormone, leading over time to abnormally large hands and feet, among other symptoms. She ordered an X-ray of Brittany’s spine and an MRI of her brain. A mass was located and most of it was removed by a surgeon in Sacramento. Brittany continues receiving monthly injections from CMC of a medication aimed at controlling the symptoms of acromegaly.

“It’s very gratifying to see a big change in someone’s life,” Alexiel says. “It stresses the importance of actually listening to your patients’ information and not dismissing them, the importance of shutting up and listening.”

Of Alexiel’s care for Brittany, Chief Medical Officer Benjamin Morrison, MD, says, “CMC has hardworking, dedicated providers who really make a difference in our patients’ lives. Acromegaly is a fascinating condition and can lead to a lot of challenges and hardships in a patient’s life.  I’m proud to have providers like Dr. Zhang on our team, who not only identify and treat the common conditions, but are also listening to our patients and helping to identify and treat patients with conditions that can often go undiagnosed for long periods of time.”

Brittany is now able to think about getting a job and living a more normal life, and for this, she is grateful for the care she continues to receive at CMC Vacaville.

“It would not have happened without Dr. Zhang,” she says. “I just wish there were more doctors who were willing to sit and listen to the entire problem.”