Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog

December 11, 2023 was the Women in County Government’s 33^rd Annual Holiday Charity & Appreciation Luncheon, which recognized accomplished women employed by San Mateo County. The event honored women who have demonstrated success through their commitment in the areas of Public Service: The Extra Mile, Self- Development Champion and Rookie of the Year. BHRS celebrated two award recipients of our very own, Ziomara Ochoa Rodriguez and Sandy Torres, and the nomination of Linda Hildreth (Self-Development Champion), Valerie Nolan (Public Service: The Extra Mile), and Maty Brito (Public Service: The Extra Mile). Read about each award and the recipient below.

Public Service: The Extra Mile – Sandy Torres 

The winner of this award exemplifies excellent service. She demonstrates reliability, communicates constructively, listens actively, and functions as an active participant. She is fully engaged in the work of the unit, department, and/or organization. She shares knowledge, information, and experience willingly and openly. She continually cooperates and exhibits flexibility. She manages to change with ease and demonstrates commitment to the highest quality of service, through her vocation or avocations. She creates solutions and opportunities where others may see obstacles and challenges. She consistently treats others with courtesy and consideration.  

Sandy Torres, Mental Health Counselor for BHRS Assisted Outpatient Treatment joined BHRS (AOT) over one year ago. She has years of experience providing crisis intervention in San Francisco. Upon arrival, Sandy was ready to help the SMC community immediately. Her team works with severely mentally ill clients who require a connection to services. The position she works in requires staff to evaluate referrals to see if they meet the state-mandated criteria and to refer the eligible candidates to a particular FSP service. 

Sandy goes above and beyond for each person referred to our team as well as for the families involved, regardless of eligibility. She ensures that each person gets the services they need. Sandy has worked hard to build rapport with desperate family members, giving them a place to express their concerns and frustrations. She also builds rapport with the clients, who have historically struggled to connect with other providers. Sandy will help clients get into shelters, get their medications and find proper treatment. She supports them at court and advocates for clients to other agencies. She meets her clients at homeless encampments, shelters, and in their homes. When clients are released from custody, she transports them to report to parole in San Jose, helps them find their belongings, and connects them to shelter. Each client she sees gets her time, attention, and utmost care.  

Sandy is also part of the Crisis Response Team. After the mass shooting in HMB, Sandy offered her counseling and language services to the survivors and their families. They felt safe talking with her and asking for support with their needs. The children also were happy to see her and would run to hug her when she arrived for the day. Even though our involvement with the survivors was scheduled for two weeks, Sandy stayed connected to the families. For months, she followed up with families to ensure they felt supported and to provide any linkage to services they needed. This included helping with legal services, housing services, food and clothing, and mental healthcare. 

While working in the field, Sandy has made many connections with providers and first responders. They feel comfortable calling her for help with members of the community. Due to her calming demeanor and knowledge of the system, she was asked to present regularly at The Community Alliance to Revitalize Our Neighborhoods (CARON) for the Sheriff’s Office. LifeMoves counselors bring her to help with outreach for their unhoused clients and she works closely with other BHRS providers to get clients connected to higher levels of care. Sandy is always willing to help and go the extra mile for each client. She is supportive to her team and to the larger BHRS system.  

Development Champion – Ziomara Ochoa Rodriguez 

This award is given to an individual who is distinguished by personal and professional development. As a result, she has helped others to shape a brighter future. She has taken on additional responsibility and has conquered it with style and enthusiasm. She is reliable, knowledgeable, and eager. She has demonstrated her desire and ability to reach, support, connect, and develop others. She is a friend and a tutor who fosters a greater understanding of self and is a trusted and supportive guide to others.  

Ziomara Ochoa Rodriguez, LMFT, is recognized for the Development Champion category for her outstanding role as the Deputy Director of Child and Youth Service for BHRS. Ziomara is a bilingual and bicultural Latina with over 25 years of experience in the mental health field, with the last 20 years at BHRS. Ziomara is the only Latin X woman to serve on the BHRS Executive Team, where she serves as both a role model and mentor, helping pave the way for young women who will come behind her.  

Ziomara has been an integral part of BHRS’s equity work for many years. Ziomara obtained the 2022 BHRS Employee Equity Award for these and other remarks. One example is her taking a leadership role in BHRS, participating in a trauma-informed system of care approach to support staff dealing with multiple layers of trauma experiences by clients, families, and the larger community, and increasing overall staffing in clinics with the highest needs and in marginalized communities. Ziomara is also a strong collaborator, building and fostering relationships with many community partners representing the BHRS Youth System of Care. This grant aimed to build schools’ capacity to provide evidence-based early intervention programs, specifically targeting the mental wellness of children, youth, and families, particularly vulnerable communities. Ziomara has lifted coastal communities by supporting program development and expansion at Puente del Sol, and ALAS, specifically bringing services to the coast’s Latin X community, including farmworkers and the undocumented.  

During COVID, she realized these communities were missed in the campaign to educate the public about protection from COVID. She immediately organized County and community representatives, respected by the Latin X community, and held the first COVID Facebook Live event that became a model for public education campaigns. If the pandemic and CZU fires weren’t enough, Ziomara was stellar in her support of the coast, and especially the schools and the youth, during the Half Moon Bay shooting incident, where she provided her staff in direct support of coastal schools, community disaster centers, and throughout the coast to assure youth and families emotions and feelings around this tragic event were cared for.  

This last September, the organization National Hispanic and Latino Executive Leadership and Fellowship Program recognized her by bestowing their Impact Award. It was awarded to Ziomara because she has infused meaning into her work with the Latino communities for health equity and as an active mentor as Ziomara mentors subsequent leadership class participants. Her strength, excellent communication, and attention to detail have helped to embrace the goals and work of the youth leadership. Therefore, Ziomara deserves to be recognized for her hard work and dedication to improving the health and well-being for all. 

Rookie of the Year – Aimee Salazar 

“Super”-Visorial Legislative Service – Juda Tolmasoff 

Nominees: 

Rookie of the Year – Tamarra Jones, Deandra Lee, Sarah O’Rourke 

Self-Development Champion – Zhanna Abuel, Dr. Patricia Erwin, Linda Hildreth, Sandra Ma, Kristie Silva, Camelot Thompson, Gina Wilson 

Public Service: The Extra Mile – Maty Brito, Rumika Chaudhry, Virginia Di-Paola, Megan Gosch, Carlye Hatwood, Valerie Nolan, Hillary O’Connor, Jordy Pascual, Nanette Pantaleon, Veronica Robles, Carolina Salinas, Rakhi Singh, Faiza Steele, Stacey Stevenson, Dr. Mithu Tharayil, Linda Wolin, Tanya Yavari 

Congratulations to all recipients and nominees!