Please see the latest issue of the Director’s Newsletter from BHRS Director, Dr. Jei Africa!
Topics include:
We are happy to announce that on Tuesday, February 10th we will be launching our in-person Spanish class taking place in Redwood City. To register, you can contact CARON’s, Jose Aguirre at jaguirre@smcgov.org & (650) 802-5044. For more details, please see the flyer below. Please note, this class is only in Spanish.
In February 2026, San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) will celebrate a major milestone by holding its 100th Cultural Humility 101 training, reflecting years of sustained commitment to building a workforce grounded in reflection, respect, and culturally responsive care. Cultural Humility is one of BHRS’ mandated and foundational trainings, supporting staff in lifelong learning, recognizing and addressing power imbalances, and strengthening relationships with the diverse communities we serve. This work is central to effective behavioral health care and is deeply aligned with the BHRS Transformation Journey, Multicultural Organizational Development (MCOD), and Targeted Strategies 4.0 (TS 4.0), ensuring equity, accountability, and healing-centered practice are embedded across our systems. We extend our sincere gratitude to the Cultural Humility 101 training cohort, whose years of dedication and leadership have helped train and shape BHRS’ workforce and embed Cultural Humility into everyday practice across the organization.
This milestone also follows BHRS’ recent hosting of its first Cultural Humility 102 training, recognized by Dr. Melanie Tervalon, co-founder of the Cultural Humility framework, as the first of its kind nationally. Cultural Humility 102 was created in direct response to staff voice, where staff consistently shared that they wanted more than an introduction and were seeking practical ways to bring Cultural Humility alive in their work, relationships, and daily lives. This advanced training deepens practice by focusing on real-world application, organizational culture, and power dynamics, and by strengthening accountability at both individual and institutional levels. It also includes exclusive video insights from Dr. Tervalon reflecting on the evolution and future of the framework. We thank the Cultural Humility 102 Planning Committee for designing this training with such insight, care, and intentionality. Due to strong interest and impact, Cultural Humility 102 will be offered again in late summer 2026, continuing BHRS’ commitment to making Cultural Humility not just training, but a lived practice.
Written by Dr. Maria Lorente Foresti, Directors of BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity
The draft Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) Three Year Integrated Plan for fiscal years 2026-2029 is now available for review on the MHSA and BHSA transition websites.
The draft IP will be available for review and public comment for a minimum of 30 days through Friday, March 6th, 2026. Community members are encouraged to read and submit feedback on the draft IP, as follows:
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