Category Archives: Cultural Humility

Reflecting on Culture in the Workplace

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We are so blessed to be surrounded by a multitude of cultures, thoughts, and perspectives within our workplace. Every day we have opportunities to connect and effectively communicate when others are willing to share, and we are willing to listen. Overall, our workplace can be a great place to celebrate our cultures coming together. Here are some examples of how we can celebrate culture in the workplace!

Connection: As we continue sharing stories, experiences, and learn similarities among each other, we can connect on different levels which fosters growth within our workforce and trust within the communities we serve. For example, many cultures place heavy importance on family, particularly elders which may guide decision making. Furthermore, at times, especially when the events of the world feel darker and our hearts feel heavy, connections help draw us back to each other and to the challenges that we can only overcome together. These struggles remind us of the fragility of humanity and that work, though seemingly an isolated space, is still yet another environment where we can potentially grow and heal with others.

Communication: Communication has always been key to increased understanding, but the key to communication can differ depending on the individual and their culture. Learning about the values of our teammates and the way they work can be vital in our efforts to collaborate, achieve work goals and overcome challenges. For example, within BHRS’ Office of Diversity & Equity, our team’s simple but important discussion of love languages helps us support each other more effectively. This deeper understanding gives insight about how to lift one another up. In turn, the creation of these environments allows for a better space to be productive and progressive.

Celebration: Culture is such a great thing to celebrate! From the preservation of language, art, holidays, to traditions, our workforce represents such a range of exciting backgrounds. Each lens reflects the hearts of the individuals within our workforce and the unique perspectives that we can access as we evolve our approaches to care.

My hope is that we continue to embrace culture within the workplace, ask questions and celebrate the beauty of our melding cultures!

Written by Irene Pham (she/her), BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity Workforce Education & Training (WET) Training Coordinator

Self-Care Everyday Series: Introduction

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Self-care has been increasing in popularity throughout the last few years, especially during the pandemic. Self-care is not just a luxury; it’s a fundamental necessity for maintaining overall well-being. It encompasses intentional actions and practices that prioritize your physical, mental, and emotional health. By dedicating time to self-care, you invest in yourself, fostering resilience and balance in the face of life’s challenges. 

The benefits of regular self-care are profound. Physically, it can enhance your immune system, improve sleep, and boost energy levels. Emotionally, self-care provides a vital space for reflection and relaxation, helping to manage stress and prevent burnout. Additionally, it nurtures a positive mindset, enhancing emotional resilience and fostering a greater sense of self-worth. 

Self-care encourages self-awareness and self-compassion. It empowers individuals to set boundaries, prioritize their needs, and cultivate a healthier relationship with themselves. Ultimately, practicing self-care is an investment in your long-term health and happiness, enabling you to navigate life’s complexities with greater ease and authenticity 

Though self-care comes in several different forms; however, this series will focus on physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and workplace balance with a sneak peek into how I implement these practices, so come along with me as we embark on a journey to explore new self-care tips and tricks to build a stronger body, mind and soul. Let’s transform those Self Care Sundays into healing every day! 

Written by Ayanna Wade (she/her), BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity Intern

Join San Mateo County’s 2024 May Mental Health Month Planning Committee!

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Update: April 18 meeting moved to May 2. See info below.

We welcome you to join our 2024 May Mental Health Month Planning Committee meetings (schedule below and in attached flyer).

Please register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcsfuqhqDgqGtRlg10zsFa3Aasvi2sayaqp.  

Day of the WeekDateTimeLocationFocus
ThursdayFeb 153:30-5:00pmZoomIntroduction & Measures of Success
ThursdayMarch 73:30-5:00pmZoomEvents & Advocacy
ThursdayMarch 283:30-5:00pmZoomCommunication & Outreach
ThursdayApril 18
May 2		3:30-5:00pmIn-person at 310 Harbor Blvd Bldg E, BelmontGroup Photo + Outreach Materials
ThursdayJune 63:30-5:00pmZoomDebrief and Appreciation

All except one of our meetings is scheduled to meet virtually. Please see above for details. You can find agenda, minutes and recordings at this website. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, please let us know. We plan to share the meeting recordings and minutes in case anyone wants to catch up or review the meetings. Contact us for questions, comments and suggestions.

Please help us share this message or attached flyer on social media to help us spread the word.

Looking forward to collaborating with you!
Sylvia & Kristie
Co-Chairs, May Mental Health Month Planning Committee Meeting

2024-May-Mental-Health-Planning-Committee-Flyer-Download

Caring for Half Moon Bay – One Year Later

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As we approach the first anniversary of the Half Moon Bay tragedy that deeply impacted our Coastside community and our entire county, San Mateo County’s Behavioral Health & Recovery Services encourages everyone to prioritize their behavioral health.  Spend time with a trusted friend, schedule an appointment with a therapist, practice self-care, and/or take breaks. In these times, extending compassion to another individual can also make a significant difference. Prioritizing our wellness involves various actions, such as seeking assistance when necessary, incorporating self-care and cultural healing practices into our routines, spending time in nature, or utilizing resources like our Spirituality Matters Card (English and Spanish) or our Community Stress Card (English or Spanish) 

Our hearts and thoughts continue to be with those who were impacted, especially the farmworker community, by the event last January.  

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the numerous individuals and organizations whose unwavering support played a pivotal role in the compassionate response to those affected on January 23, 2023. Thank you to all those who responded, assisted, provided support, and continue to provide support to the Coastside.  

Lastly, please consider attending the One Year Remembrance Ceremony organized by the City of Half Moon Bay being held this Sunday, 1/21, from 4pm to 6pm at the Boys and Girls Club Event Center in Half Moon Bay.  

Additional County Resources: 

  • San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services: ACCESS Call Center at 1-800-686-0101 
  • Ayudando Latinos A Sonar (ALAS): supporting the community and our farmworkers through multicultural practices, mental health care, and social services.  with ALAS. 
  • Coastside Hope: Provides support to enhance the quality of life of the community (crisis intervention, case management, food pantry, health insurance assistance, immigration assistance, tax preparation support, and more) 
  • El Centro de Libertad: Helps individuals, families, and communities of all cultures suffering from the impacts of substance abuse and related issues to achieve and maintain health, strength, and recovery. 
  • San Mateo County Crisis Line (run by Starvista) at 1-650-579-0350 or Text “BAY” to 741741 

In community,
Dr. Jei Africa, Director of San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services

*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

Meet Our New Health Equity Initiative Coordinator, Tia Bell! 

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Please join us in welcoming Tia Bell (she/her) as BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity’s new Health Equity Initiative (HEI) Coordinator!

Tia (she/her) is trained as a psychologist and spent the last 14 years providing culturally congruent and trauma-informed clinical care to marginalized folx in community-based organizations. In her quest for providing wellness from a culturally sound, affirming, and inclusive lens, Tia is earnestly passionate about developing relationships and motivated to make lasting community connections grounded in safety and trust. In her free time, she enjoys painting by numbers, playing with her plants, and spending time with her husband and her dog, Domino.

Fun Fact: Tia has 8 siblings; She is number 7 out of 8. 

About her work: The HEIs work collaboratively to bring together mental health professionals, residents, clinicians, organizations, community members, and stakeholders to provide outreach, programs, and advocacy for community-driven solutions that are rooted in cultural humility practices. 

Learn more about the Health Equity Initiatives here. 

Congratulations to Our Three BHRS Equity in Leadership Award Recipients!

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Congratulations to our three BHRS Equity in Leadership Award winners, Delicia Pennix, Eri Tsujii and Gloria Gutierrez!  

The BHRS Leadership in Equity Award was created to honor the workforce members who have shown passion, dedication, and action to bolster policy and practices that support equitable outcomes. 

Through our MCOD work and before, we have witnessed individuals transform our system and elevate the voice of our workforce and communities. 

The purpose of the award is to: 

  • Recognize staff who are living into our multicultural organizational development (MCOD) vision 
  • Support our BHRS MCOD efforts & inspire our interns & workforce 
  • Support recruitment, hiring & retention efforts 
  • Show our commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) efforts 
  • Model & share the message to all our workforce that equity & our BHRS MCOD goals can be achieved by all of us working together. 

In 2021 ODE was proud to initiate the first Scott Gruendl Equity in Leadership Award. Our Workforce, Education and Training (WET) Director led this work after noticing one executive team member who consistently showed up willing to courageously engage in personal reflection and actively create system change. 

In 2022 the program was expanded to honor and recognize Managers/Supervisors and Direct Care/Administrative team members who have shown exceptional work in leading our BHRS Equity work. This year, with your feedback, the category relating to positions (e.g.: Administrative staff/Direct Care, Supervisor/Manager, or Executive) is no longer part of the criteria.  

About the Award Recipients:  

Delicia “Dee” Pennix has exemplified the spirit of diversity, equity and inclusion while working for BHRS as a Patient Service Assistant for Service Connect and Pathways. Delicia has been the African American Community Initiative (AACI) co-chair for the last two years and in this position, she has demonstrated a commitment to serving all of San Mateo County as well as hosting annual events for Black History Month and Juneteenth. Dee has participated in the BHRS equity recruitment workgroup to advocate for workplace diversity and inclusion, GARE and the Recovery Happens committee. Since her start in San Mateo County, she has been committed to the County’s vision of diversity and equity and strived to be a leader who keeps this vision in the center of her various roles in our County.  

Gloria Gutierrez is a co-chair of the Native and Indigenous Peoples Initiative (NIPI) and is one of the founding members of NIPI as well as other Health Equity Initiatives (HEI). She selflessly serves the community while advocating for the rights of Indigenous and Native American communities as well as other marginalized individuals. Gloria maintains the Phoenix Garden on her own time, which is a project that the initiative and other supporters have brought to fruition. We are also honored to have her provide the blessing and land acknowledgment at many of our county community events.  

Lastly, Gloria is one of our Cultural Humility trainers, teaching our workforce about this important foundational training. Gloria approaches her services through a person and family-centered lens and is a health advocate who encompasses BHRS’ values.  

Eri Tsujii is a great example of how a traditionally non-direct service/non-client facing staff can implement an equity lens in the work that they do as a colleague. Eri applies collaboration and an equity lens in the work that she does to improve our system of care.  As a member of the Quality Assurance team, she works to ensure that data from our clients and community is represented and weaved into our work. By gathering the voices and perspectives of many she works to ensure information is being shared for efficiency and that the data and the voices of our stakeholders are incorporated into the work she leads with developing and evaluating Performance Improvement Projects (PIP). 

We are grateful to our three awardees for their impactful work in ensuring that Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are at the forefront of all we do. We also thank the many people in our workforce who are working alongside our current recipients to create change. Next year we look forward to your nominations of individuals who bring the DEIB lens into their work.  

To learn more about BHRS’ Office of Diversity & Equity, visit SMCHealth.org/ODE.

11/22 – San Mateo County Native American Heritage Month Gathering

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Hello,

We invite you to join Supervisor Corzo and Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Office of Diversity & Equity‘s Native and Indigenous Peoples Initiative for our first San Mateo County Native American Heritage Month gathering on Wednesday 11/22/23 in Redwood City at 9am. Please see the flyer for additional information.

To learn more about Native Indigenous People’s Initiative, visit SMCHealth.org/NIPI.

11/20 – 2023 Transgender Day of Remembrance

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In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR), we invite the community to join us at San Mateo Public Library on Monday, November 20, from 4:30-6:30pm.

TDOR has traditionally been about honoring the trans people who have been murdered simply by being themselves (the highest number are Black Transgender women). We want to honor victims’ lives with dignity and end the stigma that trans and gender diverse people face. Ultimately, we want to live in a world where transgender people are protected and safe from transphobia and violence.

This year’s event includes an Altar, Reading of the Names, and a Call to Action. Creating change is difficult; especially when we mourn those who have lost their lives simply for being themselves. We want to honor those who have died and also create ways for our community to learn and take action to eliminate the murder of transgender people. Transgender Day of Remembrance is adjacent to United Against Hate Week 2023. Learn more on the County’s website about how you can take part in other activities throughout the week from November 12-19. 

Register for the event here.

About:
The Transgender Day of Remembrance event is a collaboration between several community organizations around San Mateo County. Please visit each group’s website to learn more about how they support the LGBTQIA+ community. This is where “ally” becomes a verb and we all take part in creating inclusive spaces at home, at work, and at school.

TDOR Eng FlyerDownload
TDOR SP FlyerDownload

Honoring 2023 Indigenous People’s Day with NIPI

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Sunrise photo on Alcatraz Island with gathering of people in honor of Indigenous People's Day

On behalf of the Native and Indigenous Peoples Initiative (NIPI) we express gratitude to be able to represent alongside the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC). On October 9, 2023, we honored and celebrated Indigenous People’s Day at the annual Sunrise Gathering on Alcatraz Island, Yelamu, Ohlone territory, respectively. The IITC has organized the annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Sunrise Gathering on Alcatraz Island to recognize the historic Alcatraz Occupation that began November 20, 1969 as a way to acknowledge and support the resistance and survival of the Indigenous Peoples of this land. 2023 marked the 44th Annual Indigenous Peoples’ Day Sunrise Gathering as well as the 5th Annual Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Both events featured Native and Indigenous performers and speakers as well as local vendors. It was an honor to see so many participants and attendants supporting the event and individual artists.  

Upon sunset the Native and Indigenous Peoples Initiative (NIPI) received an Indigenous Peoples Day Proclamation from the city of Redwood City, CA.

NIPI is supported by San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, Office of Diversity and Equity. It is one of the nine Health Equity Initiatives funded by the voter-approved Mental Health Services Act (Prop 63). For more info and our meeting schedule, visit www.smchealth.org/NIPI.

Written by Gloria Gutierrez (she/her), Co-Chair of NIPI

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