Category Archives: Stigma

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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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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Supporting Healthy Families and Building Stronger Communities

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The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) had the honor of graduating two Health Ambassadors, Maria Valencia Trinidad Hernandez and Alexi Rosales, during the monthly Mental Health and Substance Abuse Recovery Commission on November 1st.  They each shared with the group their heartfelt personal stories and dedication to help support healthy families and build stronger communities.

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Left to right: David Young (Director of BHRS), Maria Valencia Trinidad Hernandez (HAP graduate), Alexi Rosales (HAP graduate), Jei Africa (Director of ODE)

The Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) started the Health Ambassador Program (HAP) in 2014.  HAP was first created per the request of parents subsequent to graduating the Parent Project program. After their 12-week course  spent sharing their stories, learning new parenting skills, and supporting one another, the graduates expressed wanting to continue learning about mental illness and staying  connected with each other, their neighbors and community members.

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Happy World Mental Health Day!

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Today, October 10th, is World Mental Health Day, and in commemoration of this year’s theme “Mental Health in the Workplace”, Mental Health First Aid USA provides some thought provoking statistics about how “good health is good for business, and good health includes mental health”.  

According to the National Council for Behavioral Health, 1 in 5 American adults have a mental illness and 1 in 10 full time employees have an addiction.  Even more concerning is that 35% of managers feel they receive no formal support or resources to help employees. This highly correlates with work performance as mental health in the workplace is known to impact productivity, engagement, and quality of work. High-performing teams also rely on inclusion, respect, and skillful communication which fall under the umbrella of good mental health.

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1-800-273-8255

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fdcd930d5170419e978927d110bc6f5e.1000x1000x1This week, October 1st through October 7th, is Mental Health Awareness Week. Mental health conditions are important to discuss year-round, but highlighting them during this week provides a dedicated time for mental health allies and advocates across the country to come together as one unified voice.

This year during MTV’s Video Music Awards, rapper Logic released the video for his new song titled 1-800-273-8255. The song brought up the topic of suicidal ideation: the feeling of not wanting to live and feelings of hopelessness. The video portrays a black high school student struggling to cope with his father’s reaction to his sexuality and the loneliness of abruptly losing a safe haven. Watch the video here.

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Learn How to Save a Life: Become a Youth Mental Health First Aider!

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Youth Mental Health First Aid is being offered on Wednesday, December 6 and Thursday, December 7 at the San Mateo County Office of Education. Sign up today! Class limit is 30 people.

Learn how to recognize the unique warning signs and risk factors of a mental health challenge and how to offer support that can make a real difference in a young person’s life! Educate and empower yourself to help bridge the gap between an adolescent experiencing a mental health crisis and getting appropriate professional help.

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Thank You For Recognizing Suicide Prevention Month!

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SPRoadMapThank you for recognizing Suicide Prevention Month! We want to recognize suicide survivors and their families for their resilience, our partners for working with the County to prevent suicide, and community members for bringing this challenging but important conversation to your loved ones.

We encourage you to #Bethe1to recognize suicide prevention in September and year round! You can learn more in depth how suicide affects San Mateo County and what we can do to solve the problem by checking out San Mateo County’s first Suicide Prevention Roadmap. #SMCPrevention

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The Importance of Providing Youth Mental Health First Aid in Spanish to Half Moon Bay Residents

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9-23-17 Group PhotoMoonridge Apartments are a secluded apartment complex surrounded by rolling hills in an unincorporated area of San Mateo County, where its residents are predominantly Latinx and monolingual. Providing YMHFA for this community challenged the stigma often associated with mental health and connected residents to resources and supports provided in their area, including what to do if someone is having a mental health crisis or emergency. Supervising Mental Health Clinician Hector Moncada from Coastside Clinic attended the training to answer any questions and provided information on services offered by the clinic and in the community.

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Challenging The Stigma That Mental Health Disorders Are “Unmanly”

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therapyBetween 2010-2015, males comprised 73.8% of suicides reported in San Mateo County. While men aged 25 to 54 years old account for the largest number of suicide deaths in the U.S., they are also the least likely to seek any kind of support or treatment.


Check out ManTherapy.org which was created by men and for men (and their loved ones) to combat the problematic idea that mental health disorders are unmanly signs of weakness, and to share mental health information with the men in your life. #BeThe1To reach out and support the men in your life. #SMCPrevention. 

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