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Assembly member, Rebecca Bauer-Kahan, a Democrat from Orinda, has introduced Assembly Bill 988, also known as the Miles Hall Lifeline Act, to lay the groundwork for this desperately needed alternative to 911. If passed, the Miles Hall Lifeline Act will allow anyone in California who experiences severe mental health distress – or witnesses someone else in distress – to call one easy-to-remember phone number, 988, and get the appropriate help.

By Emma Talley, San Francisco Chronicle, April 4, 2021 After a year of school closures and isolation, many Bay Area students are suffering. Parents and teachers have reported failing grades and rising depression. Suicide attempts in adolescents are skyrocketing. To meet the emerging crisis, San Francisco is expanding a mobile response team that provides mental health and wellness services to children, including the school district’s students. The mobile mental health crisis service, operated...

By Jessica Flores, San Francisco Chronicle, April 4, 2021 Hopeful. Alive. Connected. Joy. Those were all words used to describe how a group of Bay Area residents felt during a closing circle after kayaking in Richmond’s Marina Bay on a recent Saturday. Some attendees had kayaked before. For others, like Marisa Brown, it was their first time. The group was part of a local meetup hosted by Outdoor Afro , a national organization founded in Oakland that connects Black people to nature and...

CALIFORNIA ACES ACADEMY LIVE WEBINAR with FREE CME/CE Educate, Inspire, Connect HOPE: Healthy Outcomes from Positive Experiences presented by Dr. Robert Sege Thursday, April 22, 2021 | 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm (PT) This interactive session will describe how ACEs screening can be enhanced by also considering HOPE: Healthy Outcomes from Positive Childhood Experiences. Children’s brains develop in response to their experiences, both adverse and beneficial. Just as adverse childhood experiences can...

By Governor's Office of Planning and Research, March 30, 2021 The Governor's Office of Planning and Research, in partnership with the Office of the CA Surgeon General, is pleased to announce four awardees for the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine request for proposals, Addressing Health Impacts of Adverse Childhood Experiences through a Collaborative Precision Medicine Approach. Precision medicine holds promise to more fully apply data to improve health and health care.

By Kellie Schmitt, Center for Health Journalism, March 24, 2021 Amid a pandemic that shined a harsh light on domestic violence , Californians are increasingly viewing these abuses as a pressing social issue, according to a new survey of nearly 2,000 adults. Two-thirds of Californians consider domestic violence a public issue rather than private family matter, and 91% of participants said domestic violence is a serious societal issue, the survey found. “This info has given some validation to...

The purpose of the 2021 Community Based Child Abuse Prevention (CBCAP) Grantee Meeting is to provide opportunities to gain information on Federal updates that impact programming, to hear about best practices and procedures, to receive guidance on existing program requirements and, most importantly, to learn from your peers. Dates: May 17, 2021 from 1:30pm - 5:00pm; Meet and Greet from 5:00pm - 6:00pm May 18, 2021 from 1:30pm - 4:30pm In order to receive the packet PRIOR to the meeting,...

A corner of the Multi-Sensory De-escalation Room, All MSDR photos courtesy of Valerie Clark When a young person enters the de-escalation room in the Sacramento County Youth Detention Facility , they’ll find dimmed lights, bottles of lavender, orange and other essential oils, an audio menu featuring the rush of ocean waves and other calming sounds, along with squeeze balls, TheraPutty, jigsaw puzzles, and an exercise ball to bounce on. TheraPutty, squeeze balls and more Sometimes, with a...

United Parents is seeking a Children's Mental Health Policy Specialist/Advocate who resides in or in close proximity to Sacramento (travel to meetings will be required). We are looking for candidates who have a strong background in California Mental Health Policy and also has experience working with parents/caregivers who have children with mental health needs. Please check out our job description here: https://www.unitedparents.org/...h-policy-specialist/ or on the attached document. Send...

By Abigail Abrams and Abby Vesoulis, Time, March 18, 2021 When Maile Chand reminisces about her 2016 pregnancy, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t how she prepared her daughter’s nursery or vetted baby names. Instead, she remembers constantly struggling to find enough money for food and rent in San Francisco. Chand was just 20 years old at the time, living in the nation’s most expensive city, and working a low-paying retail job while attending community college. Navigating San...

By Jessica Douglas, High Country News, January 27, 2021 In mid-December, a federal survey found that more than 1.5 million Californians were behind on rent, while more than 2.5 million had little to no confidence that they’d be able to make their rent in January. The Biden administration extended a federal eviction moratorium through March, but tenants across the West are bracing for eviction when that moratorium ends. According to Jackie Fielder (Two Kettle Lakota and Hidatsa), who is...

Thursday, April 8, 2021 11 AM – 12:30 PM, Central Standard Time Children do best when maintained safely with family in their own homes. Supporting the holistic needs of children and families is a community effort, requiring strong partnerships among many stakeholders. Most children in the foster care system are enrolled in Medicaid, leading to clear opportunities for cross-sector collaboration. The 2018 Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) represents the most significant child...