Tag Archives: bhrs

Self-Care Everyday: Conclusion

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Throughout the self-care blog series, we explored the spectrum of self-care, spanning from physical to spiritual self-care, highlighting its benefits for overall health and wellbeing. As we conclude the self-care blog series, it is imperative to recognize self-care is not a luxury, but accessible and equitable for all.  

Each self-care blog series post delved into various examples of self-care practices; however, the possibilities are endless for what practices works best for you. Implementing a single self-care practice into your routine paves the way for a happier and healthier lifestyle.  

As you embark on your self-care journey, each month I encourage you to incorporate new self-care practice into your daily routine. With persistence, the self-care practice that was once out of grasp, will soon become second nature. Our health and wellbeing deserve priority; after all, we only have one life, so why not make it the best it can be? 

Thank you all for joining me on this self-care journey! I wish you all the best as you continue along your journey! 

Self-care examples taken from Self-care assess – Copy.docx 

Self-Care Blog Series Links: Self-Care Everyday | Search Results | Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog (smcbhrsblog.org) 

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

3/29 – 2024 Cesar Chavez Celebration

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Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Office of Diversity & Equity‘s Latino/a/x Collaborative is partnering once again with Voices of Recovery for the 3rd Annual Cesar Chavez Celebration.  This year the event will take place on Friday, March 29, 4:30-8 pm, at the East Palo Alto Academy!

Our San Mateo County community members and families will get to enjoy free food, entertainment, arts and crafts activities, resources, raffles, and speakers, including our very own Amazing Director and San Mateo County’s Women Hall of Famer, Dr. Maria Lorente-Foresti. 😊

See flyer for more information.

240227-Cesar-Chavez-Event-FINALDownload

Speakers and Artists Requested from San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services – Deadline 2/16

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Greetings,

The San Mateo County Health, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) division is looking to identify qualified Health & Wellness Speakers, Creative and Performance Arts Facilitators.  The speaking topics and arts methods proposed can cover a broad range including, but not limited to:

  • Speakers (e.g., staff engagement, work-life balance and resiliency, vicarious trauma, psychological safety, equity, having difficult conversation, etc.)
  • Creative Arts Therapy and/or Workshop Facilitators (e.g., music, dance, writing, storytelling, collage-making, and painting, etc.)
  • Performance Arts (e.g., ethnic and cultural dance, music, open mics, poetry, spoken word, etc.)

BHRS will be developing a pool of contractors who can provide these different types of services at staff meetings, retreats, community events, conferences, and other venues.  Once the pool of contractors is selected, requests will be made as needed and subject to the contractors’ availability and agreement of the terms of the request

If you are interested in being considered for future requests please provide the following information to HS_BHRS_Communications@smcgov.org by February 16, 2024:

1) Description of the service you provide
2) Proposal or quote for your services, that includes hourly rates and any other cost considerations
3) Outline of your training, presentations and/or link to your website or video samples

Appreciate your consideration and interest in supporting San Mateo County BHRS wellness goals!

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

Youth Leaders Share Mental Health Advice to Parents at “What I Wish My Parents Knew” Forum

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In honor of Suicide Prevention Month, BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity’s Chinese Health Initiative partnered with Belmont, Redwood Shore, San Carlos Chinese Community  (BRSCC), and Star Vista’s Health Ambassador Youth Program to host the “What I Wish My Parents Knew” forum on Saturday, September 16, 2023.

The successful forum was led by San Mateo County youths Xin Xin Cai, Anthony Lee, and Anastasia Yang, with over 50 participants of parents, caregivers, and allies. As a way to ensure this forum was accessible to our communities, it was provided in English with Cantonese and Mandarin interpretation.

Youth leaders addressed mental health questions using their lens of the Chinese-American culture and provided insightful advice to parents and mental health clinicians in the audience. They identified the top reasons for not wanting to share about their mental health were stigma and not wanting to worry their parents. One piece of advice offered to address this challenge was for parents and caregivers to talk to teens about their mental health in ways that support teens as independent individuals such as giving them time and space.

To learn more about the Chinese Health Initiative, visit SMCHealth.org/CHI and follow them on Facebook.

Written by Alyson Suzuki, Chinese Health Initiative Co-Chair and Kayla Tolentino, BHRS’ Office of Diversity & Equity

Joint Health Equity Initiative Collaborative Meeting in Celebration of Juneteenth

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It gives us great pleasure to announce a wonderful collaboration!

The African American Community Initiative (AACI) and the Spirituality Initiative (SI) will hold a collaborative monthly meeting, in the community of East Palo Alto (in-person & via Zoom) on Tuesday, June 13, 2023 from 10:30am to 2pm.

The in-person location is at Ravenswood Family Health Network in the Juanita Duncan Conference Room (1842 Bay Road, E Palo Alto).

Lunch and refreshments will be served!

Please see the above flyer for more information and how to reserve your seat if you plan to attend in-person (seating is limited).

You will need to log in separately for each meeting if you plan to participate via Zoom. For Zoom Info, email Lee Harrison at leharrison@smcgov.org.

Both meetings will have brief presentations:

  • Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE)
  • African American Community Initiative (AAC) – Adult Protective Services Presentation (Cassie Villar) and AACI Introduction and Overview
  • Spirituality Initiative (SI) – Bishop, Dr. Cleveland Prince, Senior Pastor of True Light Missionary Baptist Church in East Palo Alto.  A discussion about “Spirituality in the African American Experience, Overcoming Struggles, Faith and Fatherhood.”

Please plan to join us, and please share this information widely in your networks!

Also join AACI and Voices of Recovery for their Juneteenth celebration on Friday, 6/16/23. More info here.

6/16 – 2023 Juneteenth Celebration: Discovering- Recovering Our Roots

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The African American Community Initiative (AACI) and Voices of Recovery San Mateo County (VORSMC) are proud to co-host our second Juneteenth Celebration on Friday, June 16, 2023.

The theme of this year’s Celebration is: Discovering-Recovering Our Roots:  The Continued Journey of Black Struggle

The event will be held in-person and streamed via Facebook Live and Zoom.  Register for the event via the QR Code on the flyer or this link: AACI BLACK HISTORY MONTH CELEBRATION (constantcontactpages.com) 

As our country’s newest National Holiday, Juneteenth acknowledges and celebrates the final end of institutional slavery in the United States.

This year’s event promises to be inspirational, fun and educational, with a program that includes presentations from San Mateo County Supervisor Noelia Corzo, a Proclamation presented by City of East Palo Alto Mayor Lisa Gauthier, African drumming and storytelling, a panel discussion, cultural performances, health checks (blood pressure and glucose), a photo booth, music and dinner.

Please share this event with your networks.

FINAL-Juneteenth-EventDownload

BHRS ODE Builds Community Connections at “Caffeinate and Conversate with Canepa”

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On Saturday, February 18th, San Mateo County Supervisor, David Canepa, hosted a “Caffeinate and Conversate with Canepa” event in Daly City, creating a space for a community conversation on mental health. Following the Half Moon Bay shooting and the recent storms in the Bay Area, it was great having the opportunity to learn from fellow mental health providers and advocates on accessing and improving mental health resources within San Mateo County.  

San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE) Director, Dr. Maria Lorente-Foresti and Program Coordinator, Nicoletta Kelleher had the honor of presenting about BHRS services and resources. The presentation focused on Prevention and Early Intervention programs, youth and adult Mental Health First Aid, Workforce Education Trainings, Health Equity Initiatives and more. Throughout the presentation, attendees were referred to BHRS ODE’s program brochures and resources in order to ensure community members could easily access our services. The event also included contributions and resources from valued partners including Christi Morales-Kumasawa and Stephanie Garma Balon from KAPWA Kultural Center and Café, Virginia Chang Kiraly from National Alliance and Mental Illness (NAMI), and Fan Li from North East Medical Services (NEMS).

BHRS ODE is extremely appreciative to have had the opportunity to inform our community of our programs and services. We are grateful to Supervisor David Canepa and his team for inviting us to speak at this event, as well as creating a space for the community to voice their concerns and struggles following the recent traumatic events within our county. We look forward to participating in more events to help build community connections and the opportunity to amplify the voices of our underserved communities in order to make accessing behavioral health services more equitable and inclusive for all. 

To learn more about David Canepa’s past and upcoming events, visit his social media pages:

Written by Nicoletta Kelleher (she/her), BHRS’ Office of Diversity & Equity

Parent Project Hosts First In-Person Class Since Spring 2020!

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The Parent Project Spring 2023 semester is officially here! As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Parent Project classes have been strictly virtual for the past three years. For this reason, we are excited to be transitioning back into in-person classes. This semester, our first in-person class is facilitated by Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center’s (PCRC), Evelia Chairez, alongside the Community Alliance to Revitalize Our Neighborhoods’ (CARON), Jose Luis Aguirre. Our first class was quite the success as we had numerous parents and caregivers join us at the Redwood City Library for our first in-person Spanish class since Spring of 2020. Our second in-person class is hosted by StarVista’s, Eddy Caldera and Mario Vargas, who are hosting another in-person Spanish class at Fiesta Gardens International school.

For virtual classes, we have one virtual Spanish class being hosted by StarVista’s Lilia Quezada, alongside Ara Vazquez and Gaby Berber. Our virtual English class is hosted by Peninsula Conflict Resolution’s Center and the Pacific Islander Initiative’s co-chair, Brittany Tonga.  

“I am very happy to have the Parent Project classes in person again. It is very motivating for me to see that parents want to learn more tools to educate their children. Each week they return with new experiences and feedback on how they are applying what they learn in the classroom at home. I have always said that today’s parents have a harder job to do, since they were educated in an analog world and now they have to educate in a digital era, often unknown to them. The fact that they attend the classes every week speaks volumes about their role as parents who always want to be better for their kids.” 

Jose Luis Aguirre, Parent Project Facilitator

[En Español]

“Estoy muy feliz de tener nuevamente las clases del Proyecto de Padres en persona. Es muy motivador para mi ver que los padres quieren aprender más herramientas para educar a sus hijos. Cada semana regresan con nuevas experiencias y comentarios de cómo están aplicando en casa lo que aprenden en el salón de clase. Siempre he dicho que a los padres de hoy en día les toca una labor más fuerte, pues ellos fueron educados en un mundo análogo y ahora tienen que educar en un mundo digital, en muchas ocasiones desconocido para ellos. El hecho de que asistan cada semana a su clase habla muy bien de su papel como padres que siempre quieren lo mejor para sus hijos.   

Jose Luis Aguirre, Facilitador del Proyecto de Padres 

Thus far, this semester has allowed us to rebuild connections with our community members. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are aware that there are added obstacles associated with rebuilding familial relationships. For this reason, we are implementing practices to better assist parents in an era that has been more anxiety inducing for both parents and children. ODE’s Community Program Specialist, Charo Martinez, will be working in collaboration with her fellow Health Ambassadors to educate parents and caregivers on the Health Ambassador Program. We are beyond thankful for the outstanding contributions of our partners Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center and StarVista. We are looking forward to what the future of the Parent Project has in store!  

For more information on the Parent Project, please visit: https://www.smchealth.org/post/parent-project-r 

For any Parent Project related questions or concerns, please reach me via my email: Nkelleher@smcgov.org  

Written by Nicoletta Kelleher (she/her)
BHRS’ Office of Diversity and Equity

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