Our May speaker was Melody Cohen. Melody presented an overview of the CARE (Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment) program, highlighting its services, referral processes, and outcomes. She discussed the program's focus on supporting individuals with mental health challenges in a voluntary and recovery-oriented manner, including services like peer support, case management, and graduation ceremonies. Melody noted the program's success in helping participants achieve positive outcomes, such as reducing conservatorships and improving employment and housing situations. She also addressed challenges, including the need for legislative changes, increased resources, and community education about the program.
Our group will continue to focus this year on our San Diego County Jails but with an emphasis on Behavioral Health in the Jails. This will include behavioral health diversions that would keep more people out of the jail to begin with. With that in mind, our speaker at our June meeting will be Kevin Paschall, Program Manager the from San Diego Fire and Rescue program called RAP (Resource Access Program). RAP uses analytics in real-time to identify vulnerable 911 callers experiencing social difficulties such as chronic homelessness, mental illness, substance abuse disorders, or difficult social or medical situations. Once identified, specialized staff provide intervention and service navigation. We are looking forward to learn more about this program.
Please join us at our June 10 zoom meeting at 12:30. You can find the link when you go to the League calendar on the LWVSD website.