It was a red carpet affair for members who graduated from the //program on Thursday, May 26. Members and their families enjoyed a luncheon at the Centre in Lakewood, CA.

“The graduation luncheon signifies an end of an era and the beginning of a new one in the member's journey,” said Natalie Reinfeld, ATLAS/TABS/AOT/FOT Administrator. “We like to think of it as a celebration, but also as a ‘rite of passage’ for our members who, in their own lives, might not have had the opportunity to partake in such events.”

The 63 members who were honored at the ceremony got to walk the red carpet and add their own star to the walk of fame, and received awards for: "Power over Substance," "Making Choices,” "Exploring Identity," "Awakening Hope," "Making Connections," and "Wellecare."

Way to go 2016 grads!!!

View fullsize

Staff and leadership team at Garfield NBC.

A huge congratulations to the staff and leadership team at  for receiving a $180,000 Quality and Accountability Supplemental Performance (QASP) award by the  (DHCS).

The state-developed program evaluates skilled nursing facilities quality of care. One hundred points are divided among the measurements with point values distributed for each quality indicator. Facilities receive an overall quality of care score when points from each of the quality measures are totaled.

Quality Measures categories are as follows:

• Staffing

  • Nursing Hours per Patient Day (NHPPD)

  • Direct Care Staffing Retention (optional)

• Physical Restraints— Long Stay

• “Facility Acquired” Pressure Ulcers— Long Stay and Short Stay

• Immunizations

  • Influenza— Long Stay and Short Stay

  • Pneumococcal— Long Stay and Short Stay

• Patient/Family Satisfaction

Garfield scored very well in the areas of (high) staffing, (low) physical restraint use, (few) pressure ulcers, and (high) rate of immunizations.

ran from May 8 to May 14. celebrated both staff and residents by having fun themed dress up days, and prizes were awarded to the staff member with the most spirit. On the final day, Garfield had a luau with gifts for every staff member.

, a 130-bed geropsychiatric center located in Paramount, CA, gets in the spirit for Cinco de Mayo!

(top row) and (bottom row) celebrated , which took place from May 6 to May 12. The nursing staff and mothers were celebrated at TAO, while non-nursing staff at La Paz showed their support and appreciation of the program nurses by dressing in scrubs.

If you live in California, make sure you get a voice in this election. Register now!

The deadline to vote in the California’s June 7 Primary Election is .

Californians who have not registered to vote can . The step-by-step process is available in a variety of languages and only takes a few minutes.

If you do not know if you are registered, or if you do not remember your party affiliation,  If you’ve moved or changed your last name since the last election, you need to update your voter registration.

California's Secretary of State Alex Padilla is calling all eligible voters to action. He said in a , “If the election were held today, over 7 million otherwise eligible Californians would be left on the sidelines. Fortunately, there is still time to register to vote in the June 7 Presidential Primary Election. Whether you’ve recently turned 18, become a new US citizen, or just want to vote for the first time—I urge Californians to register today."

In California, the American Independent, Democratic, and Libertarian parties will  in the upcoming primary. This means that voters who do not affiliate themselves with any party  in the June 7 primary.
 
More voter information can be found . 

Staff and members from , , and braved the rain to support the 2016 Northern California NAMI walk at William Land Park. Despite the weather, a great time was had by all! We even had a special visitor–former California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg!

gIF VIA

"Let us strive to ensure people living with mental health conditions know that they are not alone, that hope exists, and that the possibility of healing and thriving is real. Together, we can help everyone get the support they need to recover as they continue along the journey to get well." -- President Barak Obama, Presidential Proclamation -- National Mental Health Awareness Month, 2016.

Every May we come together to combat stigma, provide support, and educate the public on mental health issues for Mental Health Awareness Month.

Each year the support grows stronger, yet we know to continue the momentum of breaking down barriers we must help increase awareness and understanding of mental health issues in the communities we serve. To help generate awareness, Mental Health America released a handy toolkit packed with fact sheets, shareable images for social media, and a call to action to share what life with a mental illness feels like. Download the toolkit by visiting !

There are many ways you can help support Mental Health Awareness Month. Here are a few resources to get you started:

• Participate in a local NAMI walk. You can find out where the closest one to you is by visiting
• Check out other mental health awareness events happening in your area by visiting
• Sign NAMI's
• Tag your Twitter and Instagram posts with #mentalillnessfeelslike; they will be collected and displayed at