A Note from Our CEO on COVID-19 and Mental Health Services

March 18, 2020 Wendy Garrish

March 17, 2020

Dear Friends,

In the face of the rapidly-evolving coronavirus outbreak and current shelter-in-place order in many Bay Area counties, I sincerely hope you are all well. You may be concerned about how this is impacting Caminar and the most vulnerable members of our community, and I want to share our response.

Caminar and our divisions are considered essential services and will continue to operate during this time. Our team is committed to providing compassionate and science-based support to all of our clients and will continue to make this our priority as we adapt to this very fluid situation. Our clinical staff spent today contacting all clients and will shift meetings to phone calls where appropriate. Clients for whom an in-person meeting is essential will be screened for infection before receiving mental health care.

We recognize this is an unsettling time for many community members. We urge you to look after your own mental health and the mental health of your loved ones as we navigate this unfamiliar territory. We regularly share tips to reduce stress and anxiety through Facebook and Twitter.

Should you need additional mental health support, please reach out to a crisis hotline in your area.

2-1-1 Bay Area

Butte County Crisis Hotline
1-800-334-6622

San Francisco County Crisis Hotline
1-415-781-0500 or 1-800-273-8255

San Mateo County Crisis Hotline
1-650-579-0350

Santa Clara County Crisis Hotline
1-855-278-4204

Solano County Crisis Hotline
1-707-428-1131

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255

Crisis Text Line
Text “HOME” to 741741

Please be well, stay healthy, and do let us know if you have any questions. Our team can be reached at 1-650-372-4080 or info@caminar.org.

Most sincerely,

Mark Cloutier, MPP, MPH
Chief Executive Officer

Because of you, over 20,000 lives are changed. Thank you!

January 7, 2020 Wendy Garrish

As we start 2020, we look back on our impact in 2019. Because of the generosity of our donors and funders, we were able to change lives last year.

You - our donors and funders - bring care and support to youth and adults who are struggling with depression, anxiety, serious mental illness, and drug and alcohol addiction. You help people improve their health, secure and maintain housing, reenter the workforce, and rebuild their lives. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

Your support made the following possible last year:

20,000+ children, teens, and adults served with compassion through science-driven programs across San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, San Francisco, and Butte counties.
10,086 people learned from our LGBTQ programs to create environments that embody the values of equity, diversity, and inclusion.
3,516 individuals received residential or outpatient mental health, case management, and wellness services.
3,348 adults received treatment and support to move forward in recovery from addiction.
1,118 individuals accessed life-changing housing assistance and homelessness prevention services.
945 young adults and adults received specialized coaching and assistance to build networks of support, resume their educations, or reenter the workforce.
802 young adults and adults gained skills to break cycles of family violence and prevention.

And, in the words of one of our clients:

“The counselors at Caminar believed in me, made me feel human. And encouraged me. I’m in a better place now and having coping skills and communication. I love this place.”

We cannot do this work without you and we are so grateful for you. Thank you for making possible life-changing care and support for the most vulnerable individuals and families in our community.

Congratulations to our Healthy Partnerships division!

April 18, 2019 Wendy Garrish

CARF has issued three-year accreditations for the Adult Intensive Outpatient Treatment for Integrated Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment and Adult Outpatient Treatment for integrated Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment offered by our Healthy Partnerships division. These are Caminar’s first accreditations for these services.

The independent CARF evaluators identified a number of strengths, including:

“The staff members are competent, dedicated, experienced, and tenured. They are able to maintain a professional approach with the clients while developing a helpful and supportive relationship.”
“The programs give individuals pride and a sense of accomplishment, which greatly contribute to their ability to function in the future. This was especially evidenced by the graduation wall that can be seen as soon as one enters the building. The wall consists of handprints of all past clients who have graduated from the program along with an uplifting saying or piece of advice for those still in the programs.”
“The medical staff is vested in its clients’ recovery process. It works hard to ensure that clients are able to obtain necessary medications, which in turn helps to improve client well-being and stability.”

This outcome was the result of dedicated work on the part of our Solano Region’s leadership, the Healthy Partnerships team, and our Operations teams.

By pursuing and achieving accreditation, Caminar has demonstrated that it meets international standards for quality and is committed to pursuing excellence. 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 on-site visits its commitment to offering programs and services that are measurable, accountable, and of the highest quality.

Ben's Story: Wellness is Recovery

April 2, 2019 Wendy Garrish

Members of our Healthy Partnerships division team.

When Ben was 18, alcohol took over his life. Starting with drinking at parties and when hanging out with friends, soon alcohol was the answer to every question. Feeling stressed? Wanting to relax? Hanging out? Drink, drink, drink. Eventually, he found he couldn’t stop.

Ben reached out for help when he was 25. For the next seven years, he tried rehab 10 times and was in and out of the emergency room. At age 32, he hit rock bottom. He accepted that he had no control over drinking or his life.

Ben thought he was a lost cause. When introduced to our Healthy Partnerships division’s treatment programs, Ben assumed it would be like other rehabs he tried. But without other options, the nine-month program was worth a shot.

As he began the program, Ben says, “I wasn’t into it because I was so broken.” Yet he knew he was in a life-or-death situation and he kept showing up. With the guidance of his counselors, Ben gained insights into and worked through crucial issues that were behind his drinking.

Sober since October 25, 2017, Ben knows recovery is a lifelong process, with no shortcuts. Each day, he uses what he learned at Healthy Partnerships to stay on the path of wellness.

Sharing Our Fiscal Year 2018 Annual Report

March 7, 2019 Wendy Garrish

Because of you—our donors, community partners, government funders, volunteers, and friends—individuals and families receive the care they need to be empowered and supported as they move toward resilience, wellness, and independence. Thank you.

We are pleased to share with you our 2018 Annual Report, which details the life-changing work you make possible.

As you may know, the Caminar family has grown by welcoming Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley, Project Ninety, and Healthy Partnerships. These mergers have expanded our reach and strengthened our capacity to help our most vulnerable neighbors toward an improved quality of life.

This Annual Report reflects the combined organization and the combined impact: Last year, with your support, we reached more than 20,000 people of all ages with education, treatment, and support that prevent and promote recovery from complex conditions, including mental health, substance use, and family violence.

Thank you for your compassion and generosity. Because of you, our most vulnerable neighbors have comprehensive support on the path to wellness.

Caminar Welcomes Mark Cloutier as CEO

February 7, 2019 Jonathan Rocha

After an extensive search, the Board of Directors is excited to announce that Mark Cloutier, MPP, MPH, has joined Caminar as CEO as of January 31, 2019.

Mark brings a unique set of skills and experience to his role at Caminar. With Master’s degrees in public policy and public health, he has extensive experience in leadership roles in esteemed nonprofit and philanthropic organizations in the Bay Area, including Horizons Services, San Francisco Foundation, the Center for Youth Wellness, Kaiser Family Foundation, and San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

Mark has dedicated his career to increasing access to quality health and supportive services and improving communities’ overall health and well-being.

Mark says, “Improving the health of communities begins with understanding the role of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and social determinants of health in predisposing individuals, families and communities to poor mental health and physical health outcomes. Caminar is in a unique position to address the comprehensive needs of individuals, families and communities though our trauma informed, evidence based clinical services and our collaborations with government, nonprofit and community institutions to focus on and remedy root causes.”

Read today’s press release announcing Mark’s appointment here.

Happy New Year!

January 15, 2019 Jonathan Rocha

Happy New Year! We hope your 2019 is off to a wonderful start.

Your support makes so much possible for our clients, including the opportunity to express and heal themselves through the arts. This beautiful photograph of the Golden Gate Bridge was taken by a client in our Expressive Arts program, which offers group workshops with Teaching Artists, including world-renowned photographer Michael Collopy.

Bridges are rich in symbolism, emblematic of connections, progress, and transitions. This photo represents the photographer's personal journey of wellness and recovery, made with the help of Caminar, while also invoking the journeys of clients and their families across our organization, and even our own.

2018 was a year of great connections and progress for Caminar, including the acquisition of Healthy Partnerships in May and the merger with Project Ninety in June. Combined with the merger with Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley in 2017, we have greatly strengthened our capacity agency-wide to support and empower the complex needs of the most marginalized local individuals and families as they move toward resilience, wellness, and independence.

Last year, thanks to the generosity and compassion of our donors, we served more than 20,000 individuals on their journeys toward progress and positive transitions.

Throughout the year, we look forward to sharing with you more stories about the life-changing services you help to make possible. Our 2018 Annual Report will be ready next month. And, we have great transitions on the horizon, including introducing and welcoming a new CEO to Caminar soon. Stay tuned!

Please mark your calendar for our 16th Annual Circle of Support Luncheon on April 26, 2019, in Menlo Park. The event will feature David Sheff, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey Through His Son’s Addiction.

A Look Back at 2018

December 26, 2018 Wendy Garrish

With 2019 fast approaching, we look back on Caminar's impact in 2018.

Because of the generosity of our donors and funders, more than 20,000 people last year made progress in overcoming major life challenges and moved toward greater resilience, wellness, and independence.

From all of us at Caminar and our Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley, Healthy Partnerships, and Project Ninety divisions, thank you!