Monthly Archives: December 2014

Jan. 13th Grand Rounds: Impact of Early Life Stress and Evidence-Based Treatment of Traumatized Youth

Posted on by

San Mateo County Psychiatric Grand Rounds

Date: Tuesday, January 13th
Time: 12:15 – 1:30 p.m.
Location: 225 West 37th Avenue – Multipurpose Room 100, San Mateo

“IMPACT OF EARLY LIFE STRESS AND EVIDENCE-BASED TREATMENT OF TRAUMATIZED YOUTH”
Presented by: Hilit Kletter, Ph.D. Clinical Instructor, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California

Flyer: Psych Grand Rounds January 2015

Open to the public. Questions?  Call 650-573-2530

Recipe for a Healthy Community

Posted on by

As the year comes to a close, let us reflect upon all of the amazing work that is being done to reach our communities who live with mental health and substance abuse challenges. The National Council for Behavioral Health created a recipe for creating a healthy community. This recipe can serve as a reflection of resources we have as well as a vision towards goals to achieve for the New Year. As a community of service providers, San Mateo County has a pantry full of necessary ingredients to create a healthier community. With dedicated collaborations and effective programming, we can certainly create a healthy dose of Wellness.

Happy Holidays!

Recipe

Health Insurance and Mental Health Services Factsheet

Posted on by

MentalHealthMattersInfographicNew factsheet on Health Insurance and Mental Health Services courtesy of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):

Health Insurance and Mental Health Services

Q: How does the Affordable Care Act help people with mental health issues?

Answer: The Affordable Care Act provides one of the largest expansions of mental health and substance use disorder coverage in a generation, by requiring that most individual and small employer health insurance plans, including all plans offered through the Health Insurance Marketplace cover mental health and substance use disorder services. Also required are rehabilitative and habilitative services that can help support people with behavioral health challenges. These new protections build on the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) provisions to expand mental health and substance use disorder benefits and federal parity protections to an estimated 62 million Americans.

Because of the law, most health plans must now cover preventive services, like depression screening for adults and behavioral assessments for children, at no additional cost. And, as of 2014, most plans cannot deny you coverage or charge you more due to pre-existing health conditions, including mental illnesses.

Q: Does the Affordable Care Act require insurance plans to cover mental health benefits?

Answer: As of 2014, most individual and small group health insurance plans, including plans sold on the Marketplace are required to cover mental health and substance use disorder services. Medicaid Alternative Benefit Plans also must cover mental health and substance use disorder services. These plans must have coverage of essential health benefits, which include 10 categories of benefits as defined under the health care law. One of those categories is mental health and substance use disorder services. Read more

No Cost Treatment Groups for Hoarding and Cluttering

Posted on by

Mental Health Association of SF is conducting a study in collaboration with UCSF and is offering treatment groups (at no cost) for people who have difficulty with hoarding and cluttering. Groups in San Mateo begin late January (other locations available). For more information, visit Mental Health Association’s website or contact Gillian Croen at (415) 763-7489 or by email pcorisfstudy@gmail.com.

How Obamacare Has Changed My Hospital

Posted on by

Interesting article from Dr. Chester Kunnappilly, chief medical officer for San Mateo Medical Center and affiliated clinics in San Mateo County, on the impact the Affordable Care Act has had on the hospital and the system of care, and the transformation taking place to better meet the needs of their patients: How Obamacare Has Changed My Hospital.

 

Workforce, Education, and Training (WET) Plan Update

Posted on by

As part of the MHSA process, counties are expected to submit a three year plan including an update on Workforce, Education, and Training (WET). Our WET Plan update was recently presented and approved by the Mental Health Substance Abuse and Recovery Commission this November. This Plan Update was created with the input of over 600 community stakeholders and will guide BHRS’ training and workforce development efforts for the final 3 years of MHSA WET funding (FY 14/15 to FY 16/17). The input process consisted of 2 surveys, 14 meetings with specific stakeholder groups, and 2 community meetings that occurred between May and October 2014. Through the stakeholder process, in which many of you participated, 7 priority areas for training were identified and will serve as the focus for BHRS trainings for the next 3 years.

  1. Trauma-Informed Care
  2. Cultural Competence and Humility
  3. Crisis Management and Safet
  4. Self-Care
  5. Co-Occurring-Informed Care
  6. Support and Integration of Families in Treatment
  7. Partnering and Collaboration with Other Providers and Systems

Our WET Plan Update emphasizes the training and workforce development needs of people with behavioral health lived experience and their family members. Our Lived Experience Academy will continue to train clients and family members to share their story and educate others on multiple behavioral health topics. This training program will be expanded in the coming years to teach advocacy skills as well. Clients/Consumers will also continue to have the opportunity to be trained in Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) and to become certified WRAP facilitators. We will also fund the Lived Experience Scholarship program in which current and former behavioral health clients and family members can receive up to $500 to pursue education in the field of behavioral health.

The other workforce development efforts that we will pursue over the final 3 years of WET funding include the BHRS Intern/Trainee Program and Cultural Competency Stipend Program to strengthen diversity in our workforce; our Behavioral Health Career Pathways Program to encourage Daly City high school students’ interest in behavioral health careers; and our BHRS New-Hire Orientation and BHRS College to enhance staff professional development.

It will be an exciting 3 years full of many education and training opportunities!

For more information about Workforce Education and Training, check out our website:

http:smchealth.org/bhrs/wet or contact WET Coordinator, Katy Davis, at kdavis@smcgov.org

San Mateo High School Graduates Largest Class of Parent Project® course to date

Posted on by

On November 24, in partnership with San Mateo High School and the San Mateo County Office of Education (SMCOE), San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) graduated our largest class to date – with 33 parents graduating! A huge thank you to Principal Yvonne Shiu and Parent Involvement Coordinator Nancy Yance Chavez from San Mateo High School. Working together, we were able to provide these parents with information, skills and supports to make the changes they wanted in their homes and school.

ParentProject SMHS

The Parent Project® is an award-winning parent education and support class that teaches parents and caregivers specific prevention and intervention strategies to establish and build a healthy familial relationship. This course meets 3 hours a week for 12 weeks and is offered with dinner, childcare, and all materials included at no cost to the parents. Starting in 2010, ODE has held 26 classes. Since partnering with SMCOE in Fall 2013, 11 different schools throughout San Mateo County have hosted the Parent Project® with five more slated in February 2015. Learn more about the San Mateo County Parent Project.

For more information on upcoming classes in San Mateo County or how to bring a class to your school or community, please contact Maggie Furey at 650-372-3272 or c_mfurey@smcgov.org.

More info: The Parent Project or find a class near you.

Another Successful Stigma Photovoice at Skyline College

Posted on by

Since 2013, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) has partnered with Skyline College to teach students about the stigma of mental illness and substance use.  The partnership involves the Stigma Free San Mateo County campaign and Skyline’s Abnormal Psychology (Psychology 410) class taught by Professor Jennifer Merrill. For the Fall 2014 class, the experience was another success. For four weeks in October, Joe Balabis from BHRS taught the Skyline students about mental illness and the impact of stigma on individuals with these conditions. The class culminated in a Photovoice assignment where students were asked to photograph and write about times they had experienced stigma and discrimination in their lives. These exhibits were then printed and displayed in a public location for the campus community to see.

This semester, a total of 45 exhibits were created and displayed.  Students touched on a number of stigmatizing issues, including body image, religion, education and where they lived. A comment box was provided for observers to leave their feedback over the two weeks the exhibit was displayed. Many of the observers were able to relate to stigma and its impact on people.  One student wrote, “Great exhibit! I can relate to many of the photos. I feel like I’ll be more cautious now and not stigmatize people as much.” Another wrote, “Loved the exhibit! All pictures brought out great emotion. Makes me want to help stop stigma.” On the last day of the series, students remarked how the assignment made the issue of stigma more personal for them. They then signed the Stigma Free San Mateo County pledge to be more respectful and understanding of individuals with mental health and substance use challenges.

The partnership with Skyline College and the use of Photovoice to teach students about stigma marks new territory for both BHRS and Skyline College. Not many higher education institutions in the state or nation engage in such partnerships with local mental health departments. But, does this approach work? One student’s comment during the final course evaluation suggests it does. The student wrote, “Thank you for taking us, the class, through such an impacting assignment. I believe the high participation level of the assignment made the learning experience much more enjoyable and stimulating. You have inspired me to become a better person in a way that I have never even thought of before. Here’s to a Stigma Free world!”

The stigma series will again be offered during the Spring 2015 semester of Psychology 410. For more information about this series, please contact Joe Balabis at jbalabis@smcgov.org, or 650-573-3474.

IMG_1060

IMG_1057

Community Service Areas: Integrating Countywide Services

Posted on by

Last month a team of BHRS staff from countywide specialty programs participated in a three day workshop to begin working on further integrating their services into the Community Service Areas (CSA).  Learn more about BHRS Community Service Areas.CounytwideProgramsCSAIntegration

Dec. 9th Grand Rounds: Incorporating Mindfulness and Wellness Approaches for Youth

Posted on by

San Mateo County Psychiatric Grand Rounds

Date: Tuesday, December 9th
Time: 12:15 – 1:30 p.m.
Location: 225 West 37th Avenue – Multipurpose Room 100, San Mateo

“INCORPORATING MINDFULNESS AND WELLNESS APPROACHES FOR YOUTH”
Presented by: John Rettger, Ph.D. Director of Mindfulness Program & Clinical Researcher within the Stanford Early Life Stress and Pediatric Anxiety Program, Stanford University, School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Division of Adolescent & Child Psychiatry

Flyer: Psych Grand Rounds December 2014

Open to the public. Questions?  Call 650-573-2530

« Older Entries