Tag Archives: Office of Diversity and Equity

Building Connections at Healing Connections Open Mic

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ICYMI: On Saturday, May 11, 2024, Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Office of Diversity and Equity partnered with the Spirituality Initiative and Voices of Recovery to host “Healing Connections” Open Mic event to honor May Mental Health Month, promoting mental and spiritual wellness. This event was sponsored by Supervisor David Canepa.

The wellness open mic event celebrates healing community connections through the sharing of collective creative expressions. As a signature event for May Mental Health Month, the event served to combat the loneliness crisis/epidemic in San Mateo County. To take action against the loneliness crisis/epidemic, our Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in January declaring loneliness a public health crisis, pledging to promote social connection in our communities. According to the 2023 San Mateo County Health and Quality of Life Survey, 45% of residents in San Mateo County residents were experiencing difficulty with loneliness and isolation. Now more than ever it is important to find ways to connect with one another and the “Healing Connections” Open Mic was a means to foster further connection within the community. Through the volunteering of San Mateo County Health Ambassadors and Voices of Recovery tabling resources to share with the community, the wellness event was able to create a welcoming and positive atmosphere.  

Healing Connections was pleased to bring together artists of various backgrounds and provide a safe space for their performances. Pam Ward Pious, Spirituality Co-Chair, graciously kicked off the event with her poetry. The event was honored to have San Mateo County Health Ambassadors John Butler and Yrene Orue share their stories and their poetry. Cinthia Castro and Lourdes Briseno, who are also San Mateo County Health Ambassadors, shared their stories and performed their pieces in Spanish. The “Healing Connections” Open Mic was also honored by the appearance and performance of San Mateo County Supervisor, Noelia Corzo, during the event. Lastly, BHRS ODE would like to provide a special thank you to Dr. Jei Africa, Director of Behavioral Health and Recovery Services, and San Mateo County Behavioral Health Commissioners Michael Lim and Leticia Bido. 

BHRS ODE, San Mateo County Spirituality Initiative and Voice of Recovery would like to thank everyone who attended the “Healing Connections” Open Mic event. The sharing of stories and performances helped to further de-stigmatize mental health and spread awareness of May Mental Health Month, while inspiring others to share their stories; therefore, aligning with BHRS ODE’s values: 

  • Utilizing sharing stories (in this case: poems, stories, etc.) and lived experiences to reduce stigma against mental health and substance use conditions 
  • Amplify the voices of our underserved or underrepresented community members 
  • Raise awareness about how our performers shared their personal journeys to receiving Behavioral Health support. Their stories help us improve our behavioral health outcomes, making them more equitable and inclusive for all SMC community members 

BHRS ODE aspires to host a similar event in the future to be of service and to cultivate a more equitable and inclusive community for all.  

Written by Ayanna Wade, BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity Intern

Get a Free Facial and Scalp Massage in Honor of Mental Health Month

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Tomorrow, Wed, 5/29, in honor of Mental Health Month, Face Sculp, located in San Mateo, is offering a free facial and scalp massage. Experience the rejuvenating power of a free facial and scalp massage. See more info below. Learn more at https://facesculp.beauty

Date: Wednesday, 5/29
Time: 11AM-3PM
Location: 37 E 4th Ave, San Mateo

May-Mental-Health-MonthDownload

Updates from the BHRS ODE Workforce, Education & Training Team

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Welcome lunch for our 23-24 interns, Ayanna Wade and Isaiah Cajbon, with project leads, Nica Kelleher and Sylvia Tang. Not picture: Project lead, Charo Martinez

Happy May! In the Office of Diversity and Equity (ODE), we’re currently immersed in preparations for our annual internship program. Throughout the spring, our team dedicates time to recruitment, application reviews, scoring meetings, and student interviews. This year, we’re excited to host three interns who will contribute significantly to our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts within the Behavioral Health and Recovery Services division and our community. While the Multicultural Organizational Development (MCOD) program received the most interest from applicants, we also saw enthusiasm for the Workforce, Education and Training (WET) team and Health Equity Initiative (HEI) program. Despite MCOD not hosting an intern this year, it remained a top choice among candidates.

Our outreach efforts yielded a remarkable response, with 147 applications received from various platforms, including Handshake, Indeed, Survey Monkey, and a List Serv I maintained from last year. We were pleasantly surprised to receive interest from students as far away as Morocco, Georgia, and Minnesota, as well as inquiries from schools we haven’t partnered with prior. After careful consideration, we’ve narrowed

down the pool to 18 semi-finalists for final review by the scoring committee. Our next steps include conducting interviews with the final six candidates and finally, selecting the top three candidates by June. To ensure fairness, priority will be given to programs that didn’t have an intern last year.

Here is an example of some of our ODE interns’ projects: Medicaid’s Role in Addressing the Opioid Epidemic | Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog (smcbhrsblog.org) Westmoor High School Peer Assistants trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid | Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog (smcbhrsblog.org) Healing Connections Open Mic – San Mateo County Health (smchealth.org) Self-Care Everyday | Search Results | Behavioral Health & Recovery Services Blog (smcbhrsblog.org)

We’re excited about the progress we’ve made and look forward to onboarding our interns and guiding them through their next steps. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at HS_BHRS_Internships@smcgov.org Thank you for your interest in our internship programs and community!

Written by Stacy Williams, BHRS Office of Diversity & Equity’s Workforce, Education, and Training Team

ICYMI: Board of Supervisors Proclaim 2024 May Mental Health Month

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On Tuesday, 5/21/24, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors proclaimed 2024 May as Mental Health Month. The proclamation was accompanied by presentations from Dr. Jei Africa, Director of Behavioral Health & Recovery Services and Sylvia Tang, co-chair of the Mental Health Month Planning Committee. Lived experience speakers, Gina Olinger-Giani and Joanna (Jo) Padilla, also shared their personal stories for why mental health matters.

Padilla stated, “For me, self efficacy and self-advocacy are a form of my recovery. I am forever grateful and love the resources available, but we must continue to fund these programs and encourage the initiatives to support stipends for those that are willing to participate in their better mental health.”

Before Supervisor Canepa made his motion to declare May as Mental Health Month, he addressed San Mateo County’s loneliness crisis, “The days of saying mental health doesn’t exist, those days are over… In San Mateo County we have 45% of people who feel alone. This equates, according to our surgeon general, to smoking a pack of cigarettes a day.”

In January 2024, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors declared loneliness as a public health emergency. Read more in the article here.

What Are Your Lime Green Flags? Join the social media challenge!

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Hello,

You’ve heard of red flags and green flags.. In the WAYLGF challenge, we are asking people what are their lime green flags. Lime green flags refer to practices or actions that help people be mentally healthy. The challenge name is a play on the national color for mental health awareness which is lime green!

Featured in this video: Dr. Jei Africa (he/him), Director of San Mateo County Behavioral Health & Recovery Services

Follow SMCHealth’s Facebook and Instagram to keep up with our challenge!

Events happening this week:
💚 5/21: Parent Collaboration- Mental Health in our Community, Pescadero
💚 5/21: Breathwork, Redwood City Public Library
💚 5/22: Essence of Mana Village Walk, Elks Lodge in SSF
💚 5/23: Soul Soup w/ Amber Hines, Brisbane Library

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

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

Self-Care Everyday: Spiritual Self-Care

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The final, yet equally important, topic in our blog series is spiritual self-care. Nurturing your spirit holds as much significance as caring for your mind and body. Participating in spiritual self-care deepen our sense of purpose and bring more meaning to our lives. 

Although spiritual self-care may sound similar to a religious practice, it does not have to involve specific religious practices. Spiritual self-care encompasses whatever you find meaningful and sacred. Whether you draw meaning from your faith, yourself, relationships, nature, or elsewhere, you can practice spiritual self-care.  

A few examples of spiritual self-care include, but are not limited to: 

  • Make time for reflection  
  • Spend time in nature  
  • Find a spiritual connection or community  
  • Be open to inspiration  
  • Cherish my optimism and hope  
  • Be aware of non-material aspects of life  
  • Be open to not knowing  
  • Identify what is meaningful to you and notice its place in your life  
  • Pray or meditate  
  • Sing   
  • Read inspirational literature or listen to inspirational talks, music 

The possibilities for spiritual self-care are flexible to adapt to individual preferences and needs. By prioritizing spiritual self-care through these practices, we can transform stressful energy into gratitude, both for ourselves and the blessings in our lives. 

My spiritual self-care practice involves prayer and mindfulness meditation. Each morning upon waking, I begin with a prayer for guidance and strength the day ahead. Following prayer, I read a daily devotional and the corresponding scripture. To end my day, I express gratitude for another day of life, acknowledging every day is a blessing to work towards not taking it for granted. After repenting more any mistakes I have made throughout the day and showing gratitude, I end with a 15 to 20-minute mindfulness meditation session. Mindfulness meditation entails observing one’s thoughts without judgement as they arise. This practice enables me to acknowledge troubling thoughts while properly releasing them. Following mindfulness meditation, I typically experience a quieter mind and a clearer perspective on addressing challenges. 

Sources: 

Each Mind Matters: Self-Care Drop in Article (English) 

https://emmresourcecenter.org/resources/self-care-resources

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

Self-Care Everyday Series: Workplace Self-Care

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One topic of self-care, I believe, is not readily discussed, but equally as important is workplace self-care. Depending on a person’s career field, the workplace often times is a second home, consisting of long hours put in for the betterment of the company. Often times, we get caught in a vicious cycle of completing designated tasks while simultaneously neglecting to nourish our minds and bodies. 

Workplace self-care, similar to other forms of self-care does not have to be daunting or time consuming. Start small and build on your self-care routine to give your mind and body what it needs to sustain you throughout the day. It can be as simple as staying hydrated, taking designated breaks and lunches to give our minds a break from the mental overload, and/or practicing the 20-20-20 rule: Look 20 feet away from your screen, for no less than 20 seconds, every 20 minutes. This rule is especially important during a time period where remote and telework has been on the rise.  

Other examples of workplace self-care include, but are not limited to: 

  • Set a time schedule to respond to emails 
  • Take time to chat with co-workers   
  • Keep healthy snacks in office 
  • Identify projects or tasks that are exciting and rewarding  
  • Set limits with clients and colleagues  
  • Balance your caseload so that no one day or part of a day is “too much”  
  • Arrange workspace so it is comfortable and comforting  
  • Get regular supervision or consultation  
  • Negotiate for your needs (benefits, pay raise)  
  • Have a peer support group  
  • Develop a non-trauma area of professional interest  

The possibilities for workplace self-care are designed to assist in feelings of stress or anxiety, as it can be hard to process information, refocus your thoughts and regulate your emotions during such moments. By prioritizing workplace self-care through these practices, we develop a less stressful and anxious work environment fostering healthier, happier experiences in the workplace. 

My workplace self-care routine involves prioritizing my allocated breaks and lunches. As an intern, with a limited number of hours per week, I often feel an overwhelming self-imposed pressure to excel. This pressure can sometimes lead to heightened productivity, but it also triggers feelings of stress and anxiety. When I sense my stress levels rising, I make a conscious effort to take my breaks if I haven’t already, or to step away from my laptop to stretch and clear my mind briefly. Recently, I’ve incorporated walks during my breaks and lunches to move my body, enjoy fresh air, and rejuvenate my mind. 

Sources: 
New York State of Opportunity, Office of Metal Health: Self-Care at Your Desk 

Click to access self-care-at-work-infographic.pdf

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

2024 MHM Heal Through Connection: Virtual Backgrounds

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We are two days away from 2024 May Mental Health Month!

What’s an easy way to let your team and others know that May is Mental Health Month? Promote it with your virtual background! See attached to download yours today.  

Events happening this week:  

💚5/1: Be Sensitive Be Brave Mental Health 101 in Tagalog via Zoom 
💚5/1: Hawaiian Music w/ Faith Ako, Menlo Park Library 
💚5/3: Lift Your Voices Open Mic, San Mateo Library 
💚5/4: Hearts Minds Hands, San Bruno  
 
For more event details and our full list of free and public events and mental health resources, visit SMCHealth.org/MHM. 

5/1 – Loves Does Not Hurt

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Chinese Health Initiative is collaborating with CORA and Star Vista to host a domestic violence awareness workshop on this coming Wednesday, May 1st evening from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. via zoom. Please join if you can and share the flyers with your organization and community. We hope this workshop will bring awareness and foundation knowledge about the domestic violence to the Chinese community. 

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