This week has been a week to pause and search our hearts. We have had moments of elation with space travel. We have had reminders that although some businesses are now open, we are still in the early stages of a global pandemic, with increased numbers of COVID-19 cases and deaths. We have also had one of the most tragic and painful moments of our lifetime, witnessing police brutality that resulted in the death of George Floyd. As a result, we have seen our communities around the country rise up and march side-by-side seeking justice. We have seen community after community stand up for equality, integrity, commitment and compassion. There is nothing more aligned with our Crestwood values than the dignity of human life and the ability to treat people with respect and kindness. We condemn racism and bigotry as we battle stigma for people. We have the profound duty and opportunity as a community of diverse Crestwood family members to dismantle generations of inequity and racism. We are committed to supporting justice, as we look for a way forward to create a better world that will be based on compassion, love and equality and it will take the commitment and effort of every one of us to make it happen.

From the Santa Barbara Independant: The Department of Behavioral Wellness has contracted with Crestwood Behavioral Health Inc. for the operation of the county’s first ever Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (MHRC).  Located at the Champion’s Center in Lompoc, this program will open on Monday, November 30 and provide 34 beds for people experiencing the impact of mental illness.  With the support of this program, many individuals will be able to return from out of county care, to live within their community.  After further renovations occur, additional beds will be added. Read the full article here.

From KCLU in Santa Barbara By  LANCE OROZCO •  DEC 2, 2020 KCLU's Lance Orozco looks at the opening of a long sought new mental health facility in Santa Barbara County which is designed to transition people from inpatient care back into the community. Click here to read the full article.

From the Santa Barbara Independant: Santa Barbara County Opens 34 New Beds for Severely Mentally Ill People By  Nick Welsh Mon Dec 07, 2020 | 1:58pm Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to print (Opens in new window) Finally. After many rumors, much back-room whispering by elected officials,  and even more anticipation — Lompoc’s Champion Center opened its doors for a new mental health treatment center offering 80 new beds for those suffering serious mental health issues. Of those 80 beds, 34 will be filled by clients of the County’s Department of Behavioral Wellness at a cost of $362 a night per bed. On the first day, two of those slots were filled. By the end of the week, 10 had been. On the convoluted chess board of mental-health services available in Santa Barbara County, this ranks as a major addition. Click here to read the full article

Crestwood is proud to announce that our newest Psychiatric Health Facility, Crestwood Sonoma County Healing Center (SCHC) in Santa Rosa, is scheduled to open early February! This 16-bed PHF will provide much-needed, mental health services with 14 beds dedicated to Sonoma County residents and 2 beds dedicated to Marin County residents. This program came together through a truly collaborative partnership that included Sonoma County General Services, Sonoma County Department of Health Services, Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, Kaiser Permanente, Sutter Health, St. Joseph Health and the County of Marin Department of Health and Human Services. Our SCHC campus offers a warm, welcoming and homelike therapeutic environment, from the soothing paint colors and comfy furniture to the beautiful artwork and provides a safe place for the people that we serve to receive the services and support they need to start their recovery journey.   We are also excited to announce that Mary Fiumara has joined Crestwood as the SCHC Administrator!  More Video: C lick here to check out the virtual Sonoma County Healing Center Open House event from January 20 In The News: Sonoma County Gazette Healthcare Design Magazine Marin Independent Journal

To:   Our Residents, Guests, Persons-Served and Family Members As we are transitioning to the next phase of COVID-19,  our focus on ensuring our persons served, staff and family members are safe and healthy. The guidance from CDC, CDPH and our Pandemic Support committee has changed as the State and Federal State of Emergency has ended regarding the Global Pandemic. Family is one of our Crestwood values and we understand that connecting with family members is incredibly important. All visitors to Crestwood campuses are encouraged to mask while in the campus.  We ask if you have any symptoms to please refrain from visiting to support the health and wellness of all our persons served, staff and visitors. In the event you are not able to visit in person, we have a variety of other ways visitors might consider connecting with your loved ones. These include telephone, email, text, or through Skype or Facebook. We will do what we can to support these alternative ways to communicate. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Campus Administrator. For additional information, please visit the CDC COVID-19 information page @ https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html . Thank you for your understanding and help during this time.

May 1-3, Crestwood, Crestwood Recovery Resilience Solutions (CRRS), and Dreamcatchers Empowerment Network were represented at NatCon23 , one of the largest mental health and substance use treatment conferences! The annual conference is held by National Council for Mental Wellbeing and took place in Los Angeles this year!

On Saturday, May 6, the community gathered to support “Mental Health for All” at the Northern California NAMIWalks . Despite a little rain, there was a great turnout! The annual event held at William Land Park in Sacramento is an opportunity to fight stigma, connect with the community, and learn about mental health resources in the area. Crestwood was proud to once again be a sponsor of the event and was represented by staff from Crestwood Center Sacramento, American River Residential Services, and the Sacramento Home Office. Thank you to our campus staff who participated in the walk with several of our persons served!! And thank you to everyone who helped staff our table!

Peerpocalypse is a conference of leaders, emerging leaders, innovators, and peers who want to become more involved in the peer community. Adopting the philosophy that peers bring with them a great deal of knowledge and expertise, the event is about bringing the community together to share information, skills, and experience. Members of the Recovery, Education, Advocacy and Leadership (REAL) Team presented “Storytelling as a Wellness Tool for Connections,” highlighting how Crestwood developed creative ways to foster community support and connection through storytelling during COVID-19. The presentation also allowed for participants to share their stories of recovery, which beautifully demonstrated the value of the peer voice.  Gitane Williams, Greg Parnell, and Shanel Mayo presented in-person, with the support of Ruth Gonzalez and Patty Blum virtually. This presentation was a hybrid (in-person and virtual) and had 302 people in attendance. The conference as a whole was attended by 900 people from all over the world!

On May 24, members of the community gathered near the steps of the State Capitol in recognition of Mental Health Matters Day! Crestwood was proud to once again be a sponsor for this annual event presented by Mental Health America of California. The event is an opportunity for people to discover mental health resources and listen to several speakers on various topics of mental health, wellness, and fighting stigma. Thank you to staff from our Sacramento Home Office, as well as two Crestwood interns who helped staff our table to talk about Crestwood and hand out swag! It was also nice to see some persons served and staff from Crestwood Center Sacramento stop by our table!

Dr George Woods “When we talk about different groups, whether gender, identity, or ethnicity, we must also talk about how they are shaped by their environment,” Felton Board Chair and neuropsychiatrist Dr. George Woods explains. “African Americans have historically been shaped by racism. They’ve been shaped by trauma.” Dr. Woods, who has practiced forensic psychiatry (the study of psychiatry within the legal system) for over 40 years, stresses that this also translates to the criminal justice system. As President of the International Academy of Law and Mental Health, Dr. Woods explains that “for almost any young person, but certainly young African Americans, becoming involved in the criminal justice system upends their lives. It negatively impacts opportunities and employment prospects.” African Americans are largely overrepresented in the criminal justice system, incarcerated five times the rate of whites. A legacy of slavery and racism translates to trauma and mental health disorders. Dr. Woods elucidates that throughout his career, “I saw how many people that have difficulty in the criminal system have cognitive impairments, substance and alcohol abuse, or other difficulties.” Dr. Woods points out that individuals with a history of trauma, substance abuse, early childhood education difficulties, homelessness, and mental illness are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Felton’s Justice Services Division, Dr. Woods asserts, provides programs and services that address these issues. “So many of the social determinants impact health. Felton identifies these determinants and provides multiple outreach programs,” explains Dr. Woods. From birth to end-of-life, Felton serves individuals and their families who may be experiencing mental health issues, alcohol or substance abuse disorders, or are unhoused. Felton positively transforms their quality of life and promotes social justice to accelerate community-led change. Dr. Woods emphasizes, “It’s both the depth and breadth of Felton’s programs that continue to attract me because we need to be working on all these things.” Article from felton.org

We are excited to announce that the Santa Barbara Crisis Stabilization Services (CSS) is officially open as of May 30!  The Santa Barbara CSS is funded through a partnership with the County of Santa Barbara Department of Behavioral Wellness, and it is our third Crestwood CSS program.  The CSS is certified to serve up to 8 adult clients who are experiencing a mental health crisis. This program provides them with a safe and warm place to land, where they receive comprehensive mental health services and support for up to 23 hours during their stay.  They will then be referred to mental health services that best meets their needs so they may continue their recovery journey. The program is located at 305 Camino del Remedio in Santa Barbara.