Monthly Archives: November 2017

Seeking BHRS Consumers/Clients for Focus Group

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Have you or your child initiated services within the last 6 to 12 months from a San Mateo BHRS program, county clinic or contracted agency? If so, you are invited to participate in a focus group to give your opinions to an external quality review organization not affiliated with San Mateo County.

There are 15 spaces available for each focus group, so sign up soon if you’re interested! To sign up, call Claudia (650-573-2189) or Lee (650 372-6118) at the Office of Consumer and Family Affairs. Transportation assistance and interpreters are available with 48 hours advance notice. Check out theses fliers in English and Spanish for more information.

Parents/Caregivers
Wednesday, December 13, 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Adult Clients
Thursday, December 14, 10:15 to 11:45 a.m.

 

 

 

December 9 – Filipino Mental Health Initiative Immigration Forum

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The Office of Diversity and Equity’s Filipino Mental Health Initiative(FMHI) is excited to announce they will be hosting an immigration forum, Immigrants: At the Crossroads, for the Filipino Community on Saturday, December 9th at St. Andrew Catholic Church Hall in Daly City from 1:30 – 4pm. 

According to Psychiatric Services, the Philippines is the fourth largest country of origin of immigrants to the United States, and the second-fastest-growing Asian immigrant group in the United States. Yet Filipino Americans are shown to significantly under-utilize existing mental health care services that are culturally, socially, and linguistically incompatible with their needs. Along with stigma, the attachment to traditional practices and healing methods remains a notable barrier to appropriate care for the Filipino American community.

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Overcoming Violence against Trans Community

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Transgender Day of Remembrance was founded in 1999 by Gwendolyn Ann Smith, a transgender activist and columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, to recognize the murder of transgender woman Rita Hester on November 28, 1998 in Allston, Massachusetts. For many in the LGBTQ+ community, Rita’s murder exposed the lack of media coverage and particularly, culturally sensitive and respectful media coverage that takes place when transgender members of our community lose their lives to violent hate crimes. The communal anger and grief that was experienced led to a candlelight vigil that was attended by 250 participants.  Eighteen years later, Transgender Day of Remembrance events occur on a national and international basis on November 20th each year, and often include a candlelight procession or vigil within the program.

On November 16th, 2017, San Mateo County Pride Center held San Mateo County’s second annual Transgender Day of Remembrance event. Transgender Day of Remembrance serves multiple purposes– this is a day for folks to come together and publicly mourn the lives of transgender siblings whose lives have been taken from us in brutal acts of violence and hatred, and a day for us to find strength within each other to mobilize and combat the violence our transgender community disproportionally faces. Transgender Day of Remembrance in San Mateo County included community speakers Alyss Swanson, Lexi Shimmers and Dr. Jei Africa, along with altars commemorating the lives of transgender siblings lost in 2016 and 2017, followed by a silent candlelight procession down El Camino Real to Central Park in San Mateo. During the procession, 25 participants traded their candles for signs that were each hand-painted by community members the afternoon prior with the names and ages of the lives we’ve lost in 2017. You can view the memorial we created for 2017 in the slideshow on this blog.

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In the News: Emergency Preparedness and Transgender Day of Remembrance

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Emergency Preparedness

BHRS Mental Health Program Specialist, Betty Ortiz-Gallardo, and Health System Emergency Preparedness Manager, Shruti Dhapodkar, recently sat down with Pen Voice to discuss San Mateo County’s response to the North Bay Wildfires and the county’s own emergency preparedness program. Check out the video above for more.

 

Remembrance and Resilience in the Transgender Community

SMDJ TDOR article

On July 16, The San Mateo County Pride Center  hosted a Transgender Day of Remembrance vigil to honor the 25 people whose lives were taken by anti-transgender violence, in this year alone. Statistics show that transgender people also face higher rates of suicidal ideation, homelessness, substance abuse, isolation, discrimination, job insecurity and violence.

“We’re not just mourning the lives that have been lost, but really coming together and saying, ‘we are a resilient community,'” said ODE director, Jei Africa. Check out this article in The San Mateo Daily Journal for more.

 

Native American Heritage Month: The Power of Visibility

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This November, the Office of Diversity and Equity celebrates Native American Heritage Month (NAHM).

With Thanksgiving, a holiday known to be controversial for Native American history, just around the corner, visibility of Native Americans during this month is particularly important. NAHM recognizes the contributions that native peoples have made for our community. It is a time to celebrate the diverse cultures, traditions, and histories of our local tribes and also educate ourselves about the challenges Native people have faced and currently face, including health disparities.

Native Americans face a large number of behavioral health challenges, including suicide risk. Across all ages, American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/ AN) populations in the U.S. experience high risk for suicide, with an overall suicide rate of 11.7 individuals per 100,000. This rate is greater than that for all other subgroups except white males, who have a suicide rate of 23.4 individuals per 100,000. Source

The existence of Native American Heritage Month alone does not have the capability to improve the lives or health outcomes of Native Americans living in San Mateo County. We as individuals and as a community must make an active effort to celebrate Native American achievements and educate ourselves about current challenges to make the month meaningful.
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Transgender Day of Remembrance

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tdor 3These are the names of the 25 transgender people whose murders have been reported, here in the United States in 2017 alone. Today, on the Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember and celebrate the lives of those who have been taken from us due to anti-transgender violence.

Last Thursday, November 16, the San Mateo County Pride Center held a candlelight vigil to commemorate the trans lives lost this year. Today from 6 to 8 p.m. the Pride Center will be hosting “What’s the T?” a dialogue series that will act as a starting point for local action around the issues that our transgender and gender nonconforming neighbors are facing.

Check out this Wellness Matters article for more on the Transgender Day of Remembrance, and how the San Mateo County Pride Center is offering support and inspiring change in the transgender and gender nonconforming community.

 

Don’t Miss it: November 17, Mental Health Awareness Poetry Slam

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In the News: Steve Kaplan, Closing a Compassionate Career

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This week, The San Mateo Daily Journal published an article on November 13 about former BHRS Director Steve Kaplan’s career in the behavioral health community. Read about Steve’s thoughts on medicated assistant treatment, the unaffordability of housing for those in recovery and Medi-Cal funding finally being authorized for substance use treatment programs in the full article.

Steve Kaplan SMDJ Article

 

What does “Sana, Sana Colita de Rana” mean for the Latino community?

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For the last 5 years the Office of Diversity and Equity’s Latino Collaborative has put together the Annual Latino Health Forum, “Sana, Sana Colita de Rana” to provide an opportunity for Latino families to come together to learn strategies for emotional and physical well-being.

But what does the phrase “Sana, Sana Colita de Rana” mean?

When translated literally it means “heal, heal, little frog’s tail.” This expression is commonly used in many Latino communities to offer consolation when one, specifically a child, has fallen or gotten hurt. The phrase continues with “if you don’t heal today, you will heal tomorrow.” At its core this message is meant to offer relentless encouragement, that while we may be suffering today, things will get better tomorrow. 

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Transgender Day of Remembrance: Join Us In Commemorating Trans Lives Lost To Violence

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You are invited to join us for Transgender Day of Remembrance, an annual event that aims to commemorate our transgender community members that have lost their lives due to brutal and unconscionable anti-transgender violence.TransgenderDayRememberance2017_DF-1

This event aims to raise public awareness of violence that transgender people face that often goes underreported or incorrectly reported in the news media, with those who are mentioned often misgendered or “deadnamed,” a term used to describe when a transgender person is referred to the name they were given at birth and no longer use. Transgender Day of Remembrance allows us to come together and publicly mourn our transgender siblings as well as find strength within each other as we mobilize to combat anti-transgender violence.

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