This year’s Celebrate Recovery Picnic, sponsored by MHA of Orange County and other community partners such as É«ÖÐÉ« OC, was again a huge success with over 200 people in attendance.

Among those enjoying a day filled with food, raffle prizes, music, dancing and games (including É«ÖÐɫ’s Toilet Paper Toss game booth) were É«ÖÐÉ« staff and members. Thanks to our É«ÖÐÉ« OC staff for contributing to the fun this year: Rebecca Brown, David Calloway, Lei Portugal Calloway, Jorge Camacho, Melissa Carrera, Patrick Conod, Cindy Llora, Diane Long, Richard Maldonado, Jude Martinez, Irioshi Melendez, Shahab Mirzaeian, Alicia Ogden, Alfonso Rey, Michael Thai and Van (Hania) Tran.

Following the success of the recently released documentary 5B, longtime É«ÖÐÉ« leader and Redwood Place administrator, Cliff Morrison, spoke with NPR’s Fresh Air host Terry Gross about his experience working on the team that established the first AIDS hospital ward in the country in the early 80s.

Cliff was interviewed alongside Dr. Paul Volberding, a doctor on ward 5B who was also featured in the documentary.

You can listen to the entire segment, or read the transcript, by following the link below!

NPR’s Fresh Air With Terry Gross

More About Cliff’s Journey

• Catch Cliff Morrison in the Documentary, 5B, This Weekend!

É«ÖÐÉ« proudly joins a powerful coalition of California counties, health organizations, and advocates who are calling upon the state to standardize high-quality peer and family support services.

California state senator jim beall (15th senate district)

would establish professional standards and certification for health providers known as peers. Peers are individuals with lived experience in mental illness or substance use disorders. This bill also requires the Department of Health Care Services to administer the peer certification process, allowing California to use best practices and improve mental health outcomes.

Currently, peer providers are utilized in many settings. However, there is no statewide standard of practice, consistent curriculum, training standards, supervision standards, or certification protocol.

At É«ÖÐÉ«, peer specialists are an important and unique part of our multi-disciplinary teams, bringing their own experiences, stories, empathy, and hope to the people we serve. Paired with the skills and knowledge they bring from their formal training, the sharing of this lived experience contribution can be extremely powerful.

Additionally, research demonstrates that the use of qualified peer support specialists has measurable benefits to clients, including reduced hospitalizations, improved functioning, alleviation of depression and other symptoms, and enhanced self-advocacy. This also provides peers with a career ladder so that individuals working in mental healthcare can fully translate their experience into meaningful employment.

SB 10 (Beall) was heard by the Assembly Health Committee on July 2 in Sacramento. The legislation passed the Senate unanimously and was re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

For more information on SB-10:

Download the SB-10 Fact Sheet here.

Learn more about peers at É«ÖÐÉ«:

Christina Roberts: From Member to Peer Specialist

Former member-turned employee Christina Roberts emotionally shares her story about why her job as a peer specialist at É«ÖÐɫ’s WIT Program means the world to her.

Peer Support in Crisis Settings

In the above story, you’ll hear from the administrator and clinical director at (CATC) in Multnomah County, OR, on how peer services have helped create a program culture built around respect and dignity, and how they give clients a glimpse of what recovery can look like.