Revolutionizing Behavioral Healthcare: Recording Link

panel.png

On Friday, April 23, 2021, we presented a lively and engaging panel discussion on Revolutionizing Behavioral Healthcare.

If you joined us, thank you! If you were unable to join us live, we hope you will enjoy the recording.

Caminar's Speakers Series event recording is available here. 

Please see our program book here. 

To donate to Caminar, please use this link.

If you have any questions, please contact us at development@caminar.org.

Thank you for your support of Caminar and our most vulnerable neighbors. 

CSS_2021_SponsorPage_042821r3.jpg

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. How are you?

Mental Health Awareness Month, which is observed each May, raises awareness of trauma and the impact it can have on the physical, emotional, and mental well-being of children, teens, adults, families, and communities.

Especially in this year, over a year into the COVID pandemic, we must recognize the importance of mental health. Please follow along with us as we share tips, resources, and events focused on mental health.

MH Month.png

From Mark: Derek Chauvin's Conviction

Derek Chauvin.png

Tuesday’s verdict of a murder conviction of Derek Chauvin has brought relief to George Floyd’s family, as reflected in their public statement, and hope for all who seek to address systemic racism. It is also a moment in which opportunities for reforming policing seem to have a new chance to address training and cultural issues that have contributed to the unnecessary deaths of so many Black, Indigenous, and people of color. While the conviction may have created a sense of justice rendered, nothing can make up for the loss of George Floyd.    

For those who have been traumatized by repeated violent encounters with law enforcement, I hope this verdict confers a sense that their safety and well-being is taken seriously and that public officials, police, and the justice system will be held accountable.  

I want to acknowledge that this past year awaiting this verdict has been painful and taken its toll on many of us.  In writing this, I offer my deepest hope that this moment is of consequence that creates lasting change.  

Sincerely,  

Mark Cloutier 
Caminar CEO 

In the News: Santa Clara County Officials will Revisit Laura’s Law Debate

San Jose Inside_in the news.png

San Jose Inside recently published an article, “Santa Clara County Officials will Revisit Laura’s Law Debate” that quotes our CEO Mark Cloutier’s remarks during a recent Santa Clara County Health and Hospital Committee meeting on Laura’s Law.

As stated in the article, “Laura’s Law was named for 19-year-old Laura Wilcox, who was killed in 2001 while working as a receptionist at the Nevada County Department of Behavioral Health. Her killer was a former patient of the county’s outpatient mental health clinic, who had been diagnosed with severe mental illness.”

We invite you to read the San Jose Inside article.

CARF Re-Issues Three-Year Accreditation to Caminar

CARF blog post.png

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) has again re-issued accreditation to Caminar for a period of three years for the following services:

  • Community Employment Services: Employment Supports

  • Community Employment Services: Job Development

  • Employment Planning Services

  • Assertive Community Treatment: Psychosocial Rehabilitation (Adults)

  • Case Management/ Services Coordination: Psychosocial Rehabilitation (Adults)

  • Community Integration: Psychosocial Rehabilitation (Adults)

  • Crisis Stabilization: Psychosocial Rehabilitation (Adults)

  • Residential Treatment: Mental Health (Adults)

CARF is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body whose mission is to promote the quality, value, and optimal outcomes of services through a consultative accreditation process and continuous improvement services that center on enhancing the lives of persons served.

This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be given to an organization and shows our organization’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a Three-Year Accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer-review process. It has demonstrated to a team of surveyors during an on-site visit its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality. 

Surveyors from CARF identified many areas of strength, including:

  • “Exceptionally enthusiastic in the pursuit of excellence and committed to ensuring the wellness of all, the CEO is a great asset to the organization.”

  • “Caminar is commended for the emphasis it places on promoting diversity and services that are culturally and linguistically competent.(…)These beliefs and values serve to advance health equity, improve quality, and eliminate treatment disparities.”

  • “The highly effective Jobs Plus employment programs produce a wide range of employment outcomes that benefit clients.”

  • “Referral sources remarked that they are very confident in the services provided by Caminar staff members, who are clearly focused on and committed to the clients’ wellness and recovery.”

  • “Clients expressed extraordinary gratitude for the services they receive from Caminar. They consistently described specific ways in which the organization’s staff members are supportive of them and have gone above and beyond typical expectations in their delivery of services.”

This accreditation is the result of excellent teamwork and the efforts of many dedicated members of our organization.
 

In the News: San Jose queer spaces looking for new home

BAR.png

The Bay Area Reporter recently published an article on our LGBTQ Youth Space plans to leave its current home when the lease ends in June.

As the article states, "‘We just didn't want folks to feel like the program was going away if we were in sort of limbo for a while,’ Keel said about the staff's intentions announcing the move to its 2,030 Facebook followers.

The youth space's search for a new location has been quietly underway, but now a public effort to find a new home is launching. Keel and her staff are looking for an affordable, centrally located commercial building. The building needs to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, include spaces for clinicians to meet privately with clients, be easily accessible by public transportation, and potentially include parking.”

Please read the full article here.

Just published! FY2020 Impact Report

Impact report.png

We are grateful for your ongoing and generous support of Caminar, thank you!

 We are pleased to share with you our Fiscal Year 2020 Impact Report. This report reflects the progress we have made to improve individual- and community-level health, thanks to your support.

Should you have any questions about our Impact Report, programs, or ways to get involved, please reach out to our Development team at 650.513.1509 or development@caminar.org.

Our most sincere gratitude to you for your commitment to enriching our most vulnerable neighbors' lives. 

Caminar honors International Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31

trans-flag.png

Caminar honors International Transgender Day of Visibility, which is held annually on March 31. This is a day to celebrate transgender and non-binary people around the world and recognize the courage it takes to live openly and as their true selves. Advocates also use the day to increase awareness around the discrimination and violence that trans people encounter.

We also celebrate the recent confirmation of Dr. Rachel Levine as assistant health secretary, which makes her the first openly transgender federal official approved by the Senate.

We invite you to learn more via the following resources:

In the News: Mark Cloutier on Laura's Law and Assisted Outpatient Treatment

mv voice article.png

Our CEO, Mark Cloutier, was recently interviewed for an article in the Mountain View Voice, “Would Laura’s Law have saved a Mountain View man’s son? Santa Clara County considers mandatory mental health treatment.”

As the article indicates, “San Mateo County has provided AOT for the last five years through the nonprofit Caminar, which has a cadre of mental health professionals and social workers helping roughly 50 clients at a time. Fewer than 1% have been incarcerated or admitted into an inpatient psychiatric hospital since enrolling in the program, said Mark Cloutier, Caminar's chief executive officer.”

We invite you to read the full article here.

From Mark: We stand in solidarity with Asian American Pacific Islander Communities

AAPI Caminar.png

At Caminar, we stand in solidarity with Asian American Pacific Islander communities and condemn the discrimination and increase in violence against them in the Bay Area and across our nation, including the fatal shootings that took place in Atlanta on Tuesday evening. We strongly condemn racism, xenophobia, and bias-motivated behavior and violence of any kind.   

The actions against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders challenge the health and well-being of our Asian American/Pacific Islander colleagues, neighbors, and friends. There can be no community well-being without all members of the community feeling respected and protected. As an organization, we pledge to support our AAPI staff, clients, and community by becoming aware of how structural racism continues and stand in support and allyship to end the hatred. 

Below are some links to understand, educate, and engage with anti-racism resources in solidarity with the Asian American Pacific Islander communities. 

·         Stop AAPI Hate  

·         Stand Against Hatred 

·         Asian Mental Health Collective  

·         Learning for Justice 

Best Regards,

Mark Cloutier
CEO, Caminar

The Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation Increases Family & Children Services’ Teen-FAST Program’s Impact Over Time

Shortino Quote.png

Caminar’s Family & Children Services division has led Teen-FAST programs for almost two decades in Santa Clara County. Teen-FAST is an evidence-based afterschool program developed by Families and Schools Together, Inc. The Teen-FAST program is widely recognized as a strategy that works to empower at-risk youth to make positive life choices and strengthen families. It was named a Promising Program by the Center for Mental Health Services, an Exemplary Program by Title V (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice), a Model Program by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and by Strengthening America’s Families. Across San Jose, participating teens meet virtually and regularly after school in a supportive community where they can address school, home, inter-personal issues. Through positive relationships they form with our staff, teens identify trusted adults and gain valuable role models who help them identify short-term and long-term life goals.

One of our major supporters, the Leo M. Shortino Family Foundation based in San Jose, has contributed $140,000 to Teen-FAST over the past seven years. The Shortino Foundation’s partnership has been critical to introducing the program to new sites and schools. With their support, we served hundreds of teen participants last fiscal year (568). The Shortino Foundation’s work focuses on high-impact services that strengthen K-12 students’ school success by building pathways for underserved students to meet their educational and career goals and contribute positively to the community. We have addressed our common priorities and work with Kim Guptill, Grants Manager. She recently shared:

“It is our honor to support you all. Your work is incredibly important,
and we appreciate the difference you make in our community!”

Private philanthropic investments have helped us to expand to 8 locations, while government support from the City of San Jose has been FAST’s main source of support. We launched Teen-FAST with the City of San Jose Mayor’s Gang Prevention Task Force funding and their grant allocations (annual budget) are now nearly $300,000.

Selected highlights for the Teen-FAST program:

  • Community support of Teen-FAST allowed us to reach teens in multiple community housing locations and schools. Despite shelter-in-place, staff adapted and lead virtual sessions.

  • Staff creatively supplied Santa Clara families with emergency supplies in May 2020. By leading virtual group sessions, our team oriented low-income families as to securing Internet access and supporting children in completing their schoolwork.

  • Teen-FAST programming is growing in its reach and popularity. Other local partners include the Morrison & Foerster Foundation, City of San Jose Parks & Recreation (for related summer programs), and in-kind help provided by staff of community housing sites and local schools.

We welcome inquiries from anyone interested in contributing to the program. Please send your questions to development@caminar.org, or call the Director of Grants at (650) 513-8767.

With More Thanks to our Solano Community Friends at Experience Church

Donations+2.jpg

Our Caminar Solano team was overjoyed to receive 45 bags filled to the brim with hygiene products from Experience Church in Fairfield.

The kits contain essentials a client may need, including a comb, toothpaste and toothbrush, soap, deodorant, shampoo, socks, masks, and hand sanitizer.

Experience Church donated warm coats to our clients in December, and we are so grateful for their generosity and compassion for members of our community who are struggling.

 

Celebrating Women's History Month

womens history month.png

By Presidential proclamation, March is designated Women’s History Month. During March, we honor and celebrate women’s contributions to American history.

According to The National Women’s History Museum,

“Women’s History Month began as a local celebration in Santa Rosa, California. The Education Task Force of the Sonoma County (California) Commission on the Status of Women planned and executed a “Women’s History Week” celebration in 1978. The organizers selected the week of March 8 to correspond with International Women’s Day. The movement spread across the country as other communities initiated their own Women’s History Week celebrations the following year.

In 1980, a consortium of women’s groups and historians—led by the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women's History Alliance)—successfully lobbied for national recognition. In February 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first Presidential Proclamation declaring the Week of March 8th, 1980 as National Women’s History Week.”

Here are some resources to help you celebrate this month:

Mark to Speak at SFBT Event: Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work

SFBT event.png

Caminar is the proud nonprofit partner of the upcoming San Francisco Business Times virtual event, Mental Health and Wellbeing at Work, on Friday, March 5, from 10:30 - 11:45 AM. In addition to our partnership, our CEO Mark Cloutier will serve as a panelist during this event.

As businesses continue to operate with remote workforce, and as parents juggle work responsibilities and managing remote school for their children – mental health and wellness is a top priority for both employers

and employees. It is imperative that companies have plans that support employee mental health and wellbeing, and help employees cope with increasing stress, anxiety, and other concerns. In uncertain times, prioritizing employee mental health and wellbeing is not only the right thing to do; it also impacts employee productivity. This informative webinar will offer management advice, tips, tools, and resources to help employers navigate best practices, plans and solutions. Our experts will offer practical advice to professionals managing their own wellbeing. We will help viewers learn how to identify struggling employees and help their employees thrive in these challenging times. 

Learn more and register online here.