Category Archives: Cultural Competence

*Updated* San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Cultural Competence Plan

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Each year the State of California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) requires county mental health departments to develop a Cultural Competence Plan (CCP) as per the DHCS Cultural Competence Plan Requirements (CCPR) intended to move toward the reduction of mental health service disparities and works toward the development of the most culturally and linguistically competent programs and services to meet the needs of California’s diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural communities in the mental health system of care. At San Mateo County (SMC) BHRS we have tied this requirement to the paths we take to support our workforce, our CBO’s and those we serve.

Find our updated SMC BHRS Cultural Competence Plan 22-23 Annual Summary below.

Learn more about the Cultural Competence Plan here.

SMC_BHRS_cultural_competency_plan_22-23_updates_FINALDownload

Understand Intersectionality and Mental Health | #Share4MH

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💭 Did you know? Communities of color with mental health conditions are less likely to receive mental health services than their white counterparts. Swipe through for some fast facts. 

When discussing mental health, we need to inform from an equity lens so that all our communities can thrive. Keep the conversation going, and share one of your cultural wellness practices.  

To access the graphics in English and Spanish visit our social media page here.

Visit SMCHealth.org/ODE to learn more and SMCHealth.org/HEI to get involved.

For our full list of free and public events and mental health resources, visit SMCHealth.org/MHM. 

Jackie Speier Collaborates with BHRS ODE to Hear from Latinx Mothers

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On Wednesday, March 15th, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Office of Diversity of Equity (ODE) worked in collaboration with retired Congresswoman, Jackie Speier, and Louise Rogers, Director of San Mateo County (SMC) Health to host a virtual event for SMC Latinx mothers to identify their needs and experiences. Jackie Speier has just launched “The Jackie Speier Foundation,” therefore, this virtual event served as a means of better understanding how to better support this community. In an effort to hear the voice of San Mateo County (SMC) mothers, participants from the SMC Parent Project© and the BHRS ODE Health Ambassador Program were invited to attend.

This dialogue led to learning more about our SMC mothers’ concerns around access to services, behavioral health needs for children, economic and employment challenges, and the desire for youth support in different areas of their lives. Additionally, the participants shared thoughtful recommendations and hopes for mothers balancing many needs to provide the best life for their children. The resilience of our communities shined through, with mothers speaking about overcoming obstacles and advocating for their families. Throughout this conversation, Jackie Speier looked to better understand gaps and system barriers impacting mothers and children to access services and supports.

With much gratitude, we thank our community for joining us at this event and for sharing each of their stories with such heart and thoughtfulness. We also thank Jackie Speier for her persistence in identifying how our county can better accommodate the needs of Latinx mothers. We would also like to thank Louise Rogers for her support in making this event happen and her deep understanding of our communities and work throughout our system of care. BHRS ODE will continue to host similar events to ensure the voice of those we serve is represented in our work.

2/24- Black Don’t Crack? Dispelling the Myth, Uplifting Excellence, Mental Health & Wellness in the AA Community

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In honor of Black History Month, the Health Equity Division at Alameda County Behavioral Health invites you to join the conversation “Black Don’t Crack? Dispelling the Myth, Uplifting Excellence, Mental Health and Wellness in the African American Community” via Zoom on February 24, at 10 a.m.

Join us for a lively panel discussion featuring Keynote Speaker: Dr. Wade Nobles, Psychologist/Educator/Author and panelists:

  • Dr. Karyn Tribble, Director ACBH
  • Kimi Watkins-Tartt, Director ACDPH
  • Dr. Angela Coombs, Psychiatrist, ACBH
  • Dr. Khalid White, Educator/ Entrepreneur
  • Ken Jones, PEER Mentor, San Mateo County
  • Shuja Johnson, Executive Director, Black Men Speak

Zoom link and more info about the event can be found here.

Pride Center MHSA Project Outcomes

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The San Mateo County Pride Center opened it’s doors in July 2016 as a Mental Health ServicesAct (MHSA) Innovation (INN)-approved five-year pilot project. Since then, the Pride Center has expanded the network of services available to the LGBTQ+ community, promoted visibility and belonging, and filled gaps in culturally responsive mental health treatment services.

According to the San Mateo County LGBTQ Commission’s 2018 countywide survey of 546 LGBTQ+ residents and employees, fewer than half (43%) of adult respondents felt that their mental health care provider had the expertise to care for their needs. Among LGBTQ+ youth who responded to the survey, three-quarters (74%)
reported that they had considered harming themselves in the past 12 months, and two-thirds (65%) did not know where to access LGBTQ+ friendly health care.

The MHSA INN component allows counties to introduce and evaluate mental health approaches that have not been tried elsewhere, to develop new best practices. The San Mateo County Pride Center was developed as an INN project since the U.S. has no other model of a coordinated approach across mental health, social, and psychoeducational services for the LGBTQ+ community.

The Pride Center offers services in three components:

  1. Social and Community Activities: outreaches, engages, reduces isolation, educates, and provides support to high-risk LGBTQ+ individuals through peer-based models of wellness and recovery that include educational and stigma reduction activities.
  2. Clinical Services: provides mental health services focusing on individuals at high risk of, or with moderate to severe, mental health challenges.
  3. Resource Services and Training: serves as a hub for LGBTQ+ resources. Hosts trainings and events related to sexual orientation and gender identity, and on providing culturally affirmative services.

In FY 2020-21 alone:
• 3,000+ participants served through clinical, social, training, and drop-in services
• 169 unique individuals received clinical services
• 2,700 hours of clinical services were delivered
• 359 community members served across 10 different peer support groups
• 300+ LGBTQ+ older adults were regularly contacted via emails, calls, and support groups

Read more

What is MCOD?!

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MCOD Progress Timeline

MCOD stands for Multicultural Organization Development, and since 2015 BHRS has been working on our MCOD plan to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion principles in the workplace. This framework was established to support BHRS’ ability to work effectively and respectfully with people from diverse cultural, linguistic, and social backgrounds.

To achieve this, the MCOD Action Plan was developed to focus on three key areas:

1) The recruitment, retention, and promotion of diverse staff at ALL levels, including leadership,
2) the creation of a brave workplace environment in which speaking out, respectful dialogue, and acknowledging differences is accepted and encouraged, and
3) promoting transparency and collaboration in decision-making and policy-making to ensure that those who are most impacted have meaningful participation.

Each of these areas has specific strategies, activities, and tasks to make progress towards a more inclusive organization. To begin this work, BHRS rolled out a survey in 2019 to measure our culture among staff. Since 2019 leadership team members have been surveyed to better understand the organizational climate and sentiment around MCOD. For example, 73% of BHRS leadership members currently agree that BHRS values diversity at all levels of the organization. In addition, BHRS executive team members were assigned, and subcommittees were formed to oversee the progress in each plan area. As we begin 2022, we look forward to supporting the subcommittee work and beginning to engage all BHRS staff in these efforts.

For more information on the MCOD action plan please click here. For any questions, please contact Frances Lobos at flobos@smcgov.org

Written by Frances Lobos, Office of Diversity & Equity

August 5 – One Community: Healing and Empowered Together

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Join us on Sunday, August 5th from 3pm – 5pm at Red Morton Community Center in Redwood City (1400 Roosevelt Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94061) for an event celebrating solidarity and unity!

Families of many different backgrounds experience the pain of separation, whether we had to leave family behind to seek opportunity for the future, we were forced apart by by discriminatory policies, or we lost our link to family when we lost our language and cultural practices. We all deserve the care and support of family. Join us to celebrate family unity across cultures! Kids activities, light refreshments, and free family portraits available!

Several Health Equity Initiative Co-chairs collaborated to make this event possible. Come enjoy amazing and inspirational keynote speakers including Macrina Mota- Pineda from the documentary “Torn Apart”, youth poets, and more!

Celebrating Asian American, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Mental Health Day

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mham-199.jpgFor the first time in San Mateo County (SMC) history, Board of Supervisors proclaimed May 10 as Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Mental Health Day. San Mateo County has joined the State of California, City and County of San Francisco and City of Austin in proclaiming this significant day. You can download the official proclamation language.

The purpose of AANHPI Mental Health Day is to raise awareness about the challenges and resilience of the AANHPI community, especially around issues of mental health and substance use. AANHPI individuals make up 30.5% of the San Mateo County population. Despite being a large portion of the County, AANHPI communities have the lowest utilization rates of behavioral health services compared to other ethnic groups. These low utilization rates are attributed to various barriers, including cultural stigma, limited behavioral health literacy and lack of multilingual service providers who can speak with clients in their preferred languages. Historically, the SMC AANHPI community has lived in silos with very few events that recognize the collective AANHPI community in San Mateo County. AANHPI Mental Health Day is also meant to break down the silos and build bridges for our AANHPI community to work together towards wellness.

Before officially receiving the proclamation, Nicole Moreland, marriage family therapist trainee, presented an introduction on the behavioral health issues in the AANHPI community. Health Equity Initiative Co-Chairs Sylvia Tang, Stephanie Balon and DannyBoy Naha-Veevalu further introduced the Chinese Health Initiative, Filipino Mental Health Initiative and Pacific Islander Initiative. The presentation concluded with a panel who shared their lived experience facing mental health or substance use issues as members of the AANHPI community. The lived experience speakers were Ning Recio, Ken Jew and Sue Vuna.

MHAM 183

This proclamation was led through a collaboration between Supervisor David Canepa’s Office, the Chinese Health Initiative, the Filipino Mental Health Initiative and the Pacific Islander Initiative. For more information and to get involved, visit smchealth.org/hei.

Last but not least, in honor of AANHPI Mental Health Day, we are hosting an Intergenerational Feast. RSVP by May 16. More information at smchealth.org/event/intergenerational-feast.

In the News: African American Community Initiative

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One of our very own, Briana Evans, Senior Community Health Planner with the Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE), was recently featured on Pen Voice. Check out the video below for Briana’s take on the innovative work of the African American Community Initiative and the importance of all of our Health Equity Initiatives.

Saturday, 1/27 – Black History Month Kick Off

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