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Mental Health Systems takes a proactive approach in communicating to the community about mental health issues, services and successes. Follow along with us as we promote healthy community practices through print, broadcast and social media. Please let us know if you see an item that would be of interest to others in the MHS community. Submit it here.

 

Prop. 63 - Saving Lives and Money Across California
 “Since I met you, you’ve made the biggest difference…” wrote a Mental Health Systems client in a letter to her program. “It seems as though you have the power to open these doors leading to my better life…I have begun to hope.” On the road to recovery from her mental illness, she was able to believe in life and wellness again. Can the true value of hope and wellness ever be justly measured?
 
California has faced many challenges in recent years due to a struggling economy and an ongoing state budget crisis. One result has been a strain on the state’s safety net for those in need, particularly individuals with mental health needs.  
 
May is Mental Health Month, and Mental Health Systems is joining the effort by continuing our ongoing campaign to spread the word about mental health issues and the importance of mental wellness for the one in five Californians who report needing help with a mental or emotional health problem.

Defining Federally Qualified Behavioral Health Centers

(May 2012) - Legislation will soon be introduced in Congress to create a new definition, requirements, and benefits for Federally Qualified Behavioral Health Centers (FQBHCs). In the past, community mental health and addictions providers have been undefined at the federal level. As a result, they have not been eligible for many vital federal funds and benefits. With states having cut nearly $4 billion from their mental health agency budgets over the course of the recession, access to these federal funds is critical.

New Vice President Appointed to Mental Health Systems

David Calandra to Oversee Central Valley and Central Coast Regions

April 25, 2012 – (Fresno, Calif.) -- Mental Health Systems, Inc. (MHS) announced today that David Calandra, LMFT, has been named vice president. Calandra will join the agency’s leadership team in assuring the delivery of innovative, cost-effective services for individuals and families living with behavioral health problems. In his new position, he will be responsible for the oversight of all programs operated by MHS in California’s Central Valley and Central Coast regions, and will work with community partners to address the unique service needs of area residents.

Holistic mental wellness center coming to Fresno

(April 4, 2012, Todd R. Brown, HealthyCal.org)
To some immigrants, the details of Western medicine lie in unfamiliar territory, so certain maladies wind up being treated by traditional healers rather than modern medical practitioners.  Read the full Article

Storytelling With a Financial Impact

Mental Health Systems engages public, raises funds, by deciding to tell its story
(behavioral.net 04/2/12 by Dennis Grantham)

Mental Health Systems (MHS, San Diego, Calif.) grew from a small provider of psychiatric day treatment and alcoholism recovery services in 1978 to a $90 million provider of mental health, corrections and rehabilitation, alcohol and drug, and professional education for behavioral health providers. Read the full article