To learn more about Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity and Equity September Suicide Prevention Month, resources and for a full list of events, visit www.smchealth.org/SuicidePrevention.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to these 24/7 crisis hotlines: StarVista Crisis Hotline (San Mateo County) – 650-579-0350, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and/or Crisis Text Line – Text “Home” to 741741.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health or substance use services and you have MediCal, Health Plan San Mateo (HPSM), or are uninsured, please contact BHRS ACCESS at (806) 686- 0101 or TDD at (800) 943- 2833. If you have private insurance please reach out to your insurance company and request support.
There continues to be a great deal of stigma in American society associated with mental health illness, substance use and addiction.
However, with the number of opioid overdoses quadrupling nationwide since 1999 and drug-related deaths accounting for 2% of all deaths in San Mateo County in 2017, no one can afford to turn a blind eye.
As difficult as it may be to understand, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is not a social ill but actually a complex disease that can be treated. In coming together during this annual Recovery Month of September to support individuals with substance use issues, we must acknowledge that these individuals benefit from receiving medical help and community support.
Stigma can prevent those who can help from
wanting to help and those who need help from having the courage to seek it.
Learning about mental health and sharing personal stories are great ways to overcome stigma and so is supporting loved ones and friends on their journey of recovery.
You can also attend a Recovery month event. Find a complete list of events happening throughout the month in San Mateo here. Learn more about Recovery Month.
September 10 (Today) is World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD). The theme this year is “Working Together to Prevent Suicide” which emphasizes that we all have a role in preventing suicide.
At 8pm today, you can join others worldwide in lighting a candle near your window at home or on social media with these e-cards (available in various languages). Find out more ways to participate in WSPD at www.iasp.info/wspd2019/.
To learn more about Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity and Equity September Suicide Prevention Month, resources and for a full list of events, visit www.smchealth.org/SuicidePrevention.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to these 24/7 crisis hotlines: StarVista Crisis Hotline (San Mateo County) – 650-579-0350, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and/or Crisis Text Line – Text “Home” to 741741.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health or substance use services and you have MediCal, Health Plan San Mateo (HPSM), or are uninsured, please contact BHRS ACCESS at (806) 686- 0101 or TDD at (800) 943- 2833. If you have private insurance please reach out to your insurance company and request support.
#BetheOneSMC #ImHereForYou
Septiembre 10 (hoy) es dia mundial de prevencion del suicidio. El tema este año de #WPSD es trabajando juntos para preventar el suicidio. Que enfatiza que todos tenemos.
A las ocho p.m. (8 p.m.) hoy tu puedes partcipar con otras personas mundial en preder una vela serca de tu ventana en tu hogar o en redes sociales medios de comunicacion social.
Para información sobre el mes de prevencion del suicidio y para recursos de prevencion del suicidio en el condad de San Mateo, visita www.smchealth.org/suicideprevention.
Si tu o alguien que conoscas estan considerando en suicidio o estan enfrentando crisis de salud mental llama a Starvista Crisis Hotline (650) 579- 0350 o al National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1(800) 273- TALK.
Do you or someone you know have an empowering story to share?
The Lived Experience Academy, starting again next month, trains individuals who have experienced mental health and/or substance abuse challenges to share personal stories that make a difference, help reduce stigma, improve the BHRS services and develop leadership skills.
Individuals in the program learn how to present stories of recovery in a way that inspires others and helps improve the County’s behavioral health services and the lives of San Mateo County clients and family members.
Apply by September 16, 2019.
For more information or to apply, contact: Lee Harrison at (650) 372-6118, leharrison@smcgov.org or Jairo Wilches at (650) 573-2890, jwilches@smcgov.org from the BHRS Office of Consumer & Family Affairs.
Photo from the 2018 September Suicide Prevention Proclamation (L-R: Christopher Jump (Heart & Soul, Inc), Stephen Kaplan (BHRS), John Butler (BHRS Lived Experience Academy, SPC), Islam Hassanein (StarVista, SPC), Sylvia Tang (BHRS Office of Diversity and Equity, SPC), Scott Gruendl (BHRS).
Every year, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors proclaims September as Suicide Prevention Month. This proclamation highlights an issue that all San Mateo County residents are affected by and can play a role in preventing.
This year’s proclamation will feature speakers from Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS), Suicide Prevention Committee (SPC) and Lived Experience Academy (LEA). LEA speakers will share their lived experience as suicide survivors.
To learn more about Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity and Equity September Suicide Prevention Month, resources and for a full list of events, visit www.smchealth.org/SuicidePrevention.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to these 24/7 crisis hotlines: StarVista Crisis Hotline (San Mateo County) – 650-579-0350, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and/or Crisis Text Line – Text “Home” to 741741.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health or substance use services and you have MediCal, Health Plan San Mateo (HPSM), or are uninsured, please contact BHRS ACCESS at (806) 686- 0101 or TDD at (800) 943- 2833. If you have private insurance please reach out to your insurance company and request support.
September 8-14 is National Suicide Prevention Week, a week dedicated to informing the general public about suicide prevention and warning signs of suicide.
Pain isn’t always obvious. Even surrounded by family and friends someone can feel isolated and alone; even when successful in school and at work, someone can feel hopeless and without purpose; even with a smile on their face, someone can feel deep sadness and depression on the inside.
During September, we want to emphasize that everyone can play a role in suicide prevention.This is an opportunity to learn the warning signs for suicide, find the words to express concerns to those we care about, connect with our friends, family and co-workers, and learn about local resources that are available to offer support. “Research shows that people who are having thoughts of suicide feel relief when someone asks them in a caring way.” – National Suicide Prevention Line.
Keep an eye out later this week for posts about how you can prevent suicide by communicating to someone #ImHereForYou. Topics include:
It’s okay to talk about suicide
Listen non-judgmentally
Validate that a person’s feelings matter
Care for yourself and build resilience
To learn more about Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity and Equity September Suicide Prevention Month, resources and for a full list of events, visit www.smchealth.org/SuicidePrevention.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to these 24/7 crisis hotlines: StarVista Crisis Hotline (San Mateo County) – 650-579-0350, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and/or Crisis Text Line – Text “Home” to 741741.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health or substance use services and you have MediCal, Health Plan San Mateo (HPSM), or are uninsured, please contact BHRS ACCESS at (806) 686- 0101 or TDD at (800) 943- 2833. If you have private insurance please reach out to your insurance company and request support.
The Office of Diversity and EquityStorytelling Series worked with our community to create its first graphic novel on mental health. The graphic novel includes the lived experiences of some of the people with
whom we work. These clients and peers shared their stories of resilience in a method that can make sense to everyone: comics. This way, more people in our county may benefit from the hope and resilience that transcends the experiences of hardships that inspired these stories.
In the workshop where the graphic novel was created, each artist had the opportunity
to create a spread (inner panels of two facing pages). Looking at the book, one story illustrates the growth of a storyteller by showing the growth progression of a water lily, which metaphorically grows towards the light from underneath the water. Other stories include recounts of events and the positive impact that these events had on the lives of the storytellers.
While each story differs, they all hold a common theme: recovery is possible, and all of us are resilient. Further, these stories represent all of us because each of us has experienced hardship, and all of us have opportunities to practice resilience and self care.
On the 19th, we will read the graphic novel, host a panel in which the storytellers will answer questions, and discuss the ways that we all relate to the stories shared.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to these 24/7 crisis hotlines: StarVista Crisis Hotline (San Mateo County) – 650-579-0350, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and/or Crisis Text Line – Text “Home” to 741741.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health or substance use services and you have MediCal, Health Plan San Mateo (HPSM), or are uninsured, please contact BHRS ACCESS at (806) 686- 0101 or TDD at (800) 943- 2833. If you have private insurance please reach out to your insurance company and request support.
As early as 2009, Caltrain has partnered with San Mateo County to prevent suicide in our local community. Caltrain’s suicide prevention work is featured in our 2017-2020 Suicide Prevention Roadmap.
For September Suicide Prevention Month and Rail Safety Month, Caltrain and San Mateo County Health – Behavioral Health & Recovery Services is partnering in the following ways:
Accepting September Suicide Prevention and Rail Safety Month Proclamation from Caltrain Board
Presenting on suicide prevention work to the Caltrain Citizens Adivisory Committee
Providing Question Persuade Refer (QPR) suicide prevention gatekeeper training to train staff for Caltrain staff
To learn more about Behavioral Health and Recovery Services’ Office of Diversity and Equity September Suicide Prevention Month, resources and for a full list of events, visit www.smchealth.org/SuicidePrevention.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to these 24/7 crisis hotlines: StarVista Crisis Hotline (San Mateo County) – 650-579-0350, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and/or Crisis Text Line – Text “Home” to 741741.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health or substance use services and you have MediCal, Health Plan San Mateo (HPSM), or are uninsured, please contact BHRS ACCESS at (806) 686- 0101 or TDD at (800) 943- 2833. If you have private insurance please reach out to your insurance company and request support.
In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, San Mateo County’s 4th annual Interfaith Day of Prayer will be hosted on Thursday, September 5th from 12pm to 1pm at 400 County Center Courtyard in Redwood City
At the Interfaith Day of Prayer for Faith, Hope and Life, faith and secular leaders will join together to share their faith perspective on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.
Faith leaders play a key role in supporting mental health and preventing suicide. These leaders are important sources of hope and strength for their congregants, counsel for those in crisis, and provide comfort and support in the aftermath of a suicide attempt or death. It is the faith leader who, at a memorial service or funeral, has a platform to encourage help-seeking by those at risk and remind all to be alert to the risk of suicide in their community.
According to Mental Health: A Guide for Faith Leaders published by the American Psychiatric Association Foundation and the Mental Health and Faith Community Partnership Steering Committee, “Because religion and spirituality often play a vital role in healing, people experiencing mental health concerns often turn first to a faith leader. From a public health perspective, faith community leaders are gatekeepers or “first responders” when individuals and families face mental health or substance use problems.”
List of presenters for the event include:
Rabbi Lisa Delson, Peninsula Temple Sholom
Fr. Lawrence Goode, St Francis of Assisi Church (EPA)
Scott Gilman, Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS)
BHRS Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) – Native Indigenous Peoples Initiative and Pacific Islander Initiative
Wesley Mukoyama, Volunteer Buddhist Chaplain at Santa Clara County Jail
Akshat Sharma, Sanatan Mandir Hindu Temple
Rev. Mary Frazier, Bread of Life Evangelistic Outreach
Pamela Ward, Lived Experience Academy
Helene Zimmerman, Executive Director of NAMI SMC
Ishaq Pathan, Islamic Network Group
& more!
Get involved in the National Weekend of Prayer on September 6th and 7th by joining in a world wide prayer event in your faith gathering place. Learn more here.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please reach out to these 24/7 crisis hotlines: StarVista Crisis Hotline (San Mateo County) – 650-579-0350, National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – 1-800-273-TALK (8255) and/or Crisis Text Line – Text “Home” to 741741.
If you or someone you know is in need of mental health or substance use services and you have MediCal, Health Plan San Mateo (HPSM), or are uninsured, please contact BHRS ACCESS at (806) 686- 0101 or TDD at (800) 943- 2833. If you have private insurance please reach out to your insurance company and request support.
