HOME Program Thriving
In 2015, Caminar’s Solano Region began providing a new service through our MHSA funded HOME (Homeless, Outreach, Motivation and Engagement) program. The HOME program provides services to the severely mentally ill homeless population in Solano County. Our supportive staff provides early intervention, outreach and engagement by meeting with individuals where they are, whether it is in encampments, local parks or temporary shelters. Services include intensive case management, peer counseling, medication management and housing assistance in partnership with a variety of community resources.
Currently, the HOME program is working closely with Fairfield Police Department by going into the field weekly with their homeless outreach team. We are at capacity and there is still need. Caminar has requested additional funding from SCBHS to increase capacity.
HOME’s initial goal was to provide short-term intensive (ACT) case management to 20-22 individuals annually. We are happy to report that 22 unduplicated individuals are being served.
Caminar Regional News
SOLANO
Over in Solano County, clients are preparing for Vallejo City Hall art exhibit in the month of May. Clients are creating 16 x 20 art pieces to line the walls of City Hall and the JFK Library to celebrate May as Mental Health Month. Ken Langill is the contact person for this event — he's worked with the city and local artists to support this project. May 9, 2016 is the tentative date for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. Solano also has a new New Director of Services for Solano Region — Congratulations to Tara Beckman!
GRANTS
Caminar’s grants program is thriving thanks to its generous funders and the efforts of many diligent staff members who contribute valuable information, such as outcome data and stories of clients’ successes for grant reports and proposals. Over the last few months, Caminar has received $125,000 in grant funding collectively from the Peninsula Health Care District, Genentech, Carl Gellert and Celia Berta Gellert Foundation, Christensen Family Foundation, Thomas and Janice Berthold Charitable Fund, and Hurlbut-Johnson Charitable Trusts, a donor-advised fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation. These charitable funders recognize the invaluable work of each staff member and choose to place their trust and investment into Caminar’s life-saving programs and services. So, thank you all for what you do for our clients and community! Your work is recognized well beyond those who see it.
5th Annual Awards Hosted By Solano
Please join us at the 5th Cammie Awards — a celebration of our clients’ achievements in wellness and recovery as we “Walk A Mile In Their Shoes” on Friday, May 20th, 2016 at the Foley Cultural Center in Vallejo from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
The Cammie Awards are a celebration of Caminar’s best and most committed clients and supporters. Lunch will be provided. There will be music and door prizes. We look forward to seeing you there!
For more information, contact Christopher Kughn at CKughn@Caminar.org.
Let's walk together, Caminarians!
Lace up your sneakers and get ready for the first of Caminar's Mental Health Awareness Month events! On May 1, 2016 Caminar will participate in the "Road to Recovery" 5K run/walk in San Francisco. We're looking to assemble a strong team to walk or run the course and have a little fun while promoting recovery and strong bodies and minds.
The Road to Recovery 5K supports the Center for Open Recovery (COR) whose mission champions long-term recovery to end the stigma of addiction. The COR envisions a world where there is freedom from addiction.
Miles for Mental Health at Basecamp Fitness!
Basecamp Fitness invites Caminar for Mental Health, our families and friends to join their Miles For Mental Health team to help raise awareness and support, and help fund Caminar's mission of providing people with mental illness the opportunities to live life with dignity and independence.
On Saturday May 21, for each mile biked during a workout in their studios, Basecamp Fitness will donate $1 to Caminar for Mental Health. The more miles, the more money we raise!
Basecamp Fitness is a 35-minute, heart-pumping, muscle-building, fitness experience that builds a healthier YOU! They are a tight knit, supportive community built around building Strong Hearts inside and outside the studio.
The more we ride, the more money we raise! For more information on Basecamp Fitness, click here or follow them on social media by clicking below.
Encourage as many people as you can to sign up and ride!
Congrats to the graduates: Supported Education to celebrate the Class of 2015/2016!
On Thursday May 19, Caminar’s Peer Counseling class at the College of San Mateo will be holding its annual celebration and graduation of the class of 2015/2016. This event celebrates the commitment, hard work and accomplishments of students wishing to give back while pursuing their own personal growth and development. The wide-ranging curriculum covers topics from recovery and counseling skills to documentation and career development. This is a significant accomplishment that will be acknowledged on May 19 in the Student Life and Leadership office, Bldg. 17 Room 112 from 11 am to 1 pm. Light refreshments will also be served. Parking permits can be purchased in the student and visitor lots.
Please join us by making your RSVP with Chris Robinson, Dir. Supported Education program at chrisr@caminar.org or calling (650) 574-6472.
We look forward to seeing you!
Caminar Events Update
SFJazz Center in San Francisco selected for 6th Annual "In Concert with Caminar"
We're proud to announce that SFJazz Center, one of the premier music venues in San Francisco, will be Caminar's host for the 6th Annual "In Concert with Caminar" on Saturday, October 15, 2016. Stay tuned for more details.
2nd Annual Mental Health Symposium
Our first event of the year will be Caminar's 2nd Annual Mental Health Symposium at the beautiful Filoli Gardens in Woodside on May 25, 2016.
We are very excited to announce our esteemed panel of mental health pioneers and innovators for the 2016 Mental Health Symposium: Leanne Williams, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Karan Singh, MS, MBA, Co-Founder at Ginger.io, Steven Adelsheim, M.D. – Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University and Stephan Sanders, PhD of the University of California, San Francisco.
Our panelists will lead compelling discussions about cutting edge research in mental illness.
Caminar Programs Pass Site Re-Certifications and Chart Audits!
Programs that provide MediCal-funded specialty mental health services are re-certified every three years. County Quality Improvement (QI) audits sites for safety, cleanliness, required postings and compliant policies/procedures. Caminar QI collaborates with program staff on site preparation, required or recommended corrections and responses to county feedback.
Seven Caminar sites were recently re-certified on time! These include Solano county’s Full Service Partnership (FSP) for Adults/Older Adults with its Medication Clinic in August and Laurel Creek Crisis Residential (pictured) in December. San Mateo’s New Ventures, REACH/FSP and Medication Clinic passed re-certification in September and Eucalyptus House, Hawthorne House, New Ventures/Colma Ridge, YAIL, and Redwood House Crisis Residential (pictured) were re-certified in December.
San Mateo BHRS/QI are also pleased with Caminar’s performance in the latest chart audit for the Feb-April 2015 period. After a successful appeal of some results, residential programs had no disallowances and the total disallowance rate including case management was within the acceptable range. This means Caminar will not be asked to refund money to BHRS.
Staff have been working hard to ensure sites shine and follow evolving requirements. Staff have also made great improvements following documentation and treatment standards that are now strictly enforced. We are very appreciative that Caminar did well in these important visits and audits!
Caminar New Welcomes Members to the Board of Directors
Caminar for Mental Health is pleased to welcome two new members to the Board of Directors. We look forward to working with them as we continue to fulfill our mission every day.
Vivienne Virani (left) is a community volunteer and activist, who will join the board in January of 2017. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Pomona College and earned a Master’s Degree at UC Berkeley. After graduate school, Vivienne did marketing research at Hewlett-Packard for several years before beginning her own interior design business. For the last 15 years, her focus has shifted to volunteer fundraising and event planning for nonprofits and other organizations. Vivienne has served as a board member for Peninsula Family Service and is currently on the board of STREETSMART4kids in San Francisco. She is deeply concerned about homelessness in the Bay Area and works to support local programs that help individuals receive the services they need to exit street life and get on the path to a stable and sustainable future.
Belinda Hanson (right) has practiced family law for 22 years. Belinda is a Certified Family Law Specialist, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. She has been recognized in "Best Lawyers in America" yearly since 2002, and in 2010 was named "San Francisco Area Family Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers. In addition to being listed among Northern California's "Super Lawyers" by the Northern California Super Lawyers publication each year since 2004, she has also been included in the "Top 50 Northern California Female Super Lawyers" and the "Top 100 Northern California Lawyers."
Belinda served on the board at the Thacher School in Ojai from 1994 to 2003 and most recently on the Peninsula Family Service Board in San Mateo from 2009 to 2012.
Annual Report is here!
The 2015 Caminar for Mental Health Annual Report is now available. It's full of the latest information surrounding our efforts to provide opportunities to people with mental illness in order to live life with dignity and independence.
Featured in this year's Annual Report is "Caminar: Road to Independence" — a visual layout of the steps our clients take from crisis to independence. The Annual Report also includes: a letter from our CEO, Chip Huggins, inspiring client success stories, a look at 2015 our annual events and a map of services throughout Northern California.
We're proud of all the work our team has put into creating the Annual Report. Head over to Caminar's "ABOUT" section to download a copy today.
