Jay mahler listening to the speeches at the oPENING OF TELECARE'S JAY MAHLER RECOVERY CENTER ON OCTOBER 29.

We at ɫ��ɫ are deeply saddened by the passing of Jay Mahler, whose advocacy changed the way we view and treat mental health.

“Jay Mahler was such an inspiration to me,” said Marcelo Cavalheiro, Regional Director of Operations at ɫ��ɫ for Los Angeles. “My favorite thing about Jay was his t-shirt buttons — he would wear all his causes on his clothing! He was well known in the national consumer movement, and many of the positive changes we’ve seen recently were championed by him. He was one of the first peer staff I ever met.”

Since the late 1960s, Mr. Mahler has been a tireless champion for mental health consumers. He helped found Mental Health Consumer Concerns and California Network of Mental Health Clients, was appointed by the Governor to the California Council on Mental Health from 1979-1985, and served on the Alameda County Mental Health Advisory Board, the Fairmont Hospital Advisory Board, and the Eden District Mental Health Committee. Mr. Mahler was also the first Consumer Relations Manager in Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services (ACBH) from 2006 until 2012 and founded the Pool of Consumer Champions (POCC) in 2006.

JAY MAHLER GIVING A SPEECH AT THE OPENING OF TELECARE'S JAY MAHLER RECOVERY CENTER ON OCTOBER 29.

ɫ��ɫ had the privilege of working with Mr. Mahler in 2015 when Alameda County designed and opened the Jay Mahler Recovery Center, a brand new, beautiful, recovery-focused crisis residential facility on the same campus Mr. Mahler received treatment at in the 1960s.

front entrance to the Jay Mahler Recovery Center.

Today, ɫ��ɫ continues to operate the Jay Mahler Recovery Center and it continues to serve as an example of the progress that has been made in providing respectful, empowering services, and the incredible work Alameda County has done and continues to do to advance the standard of care. The program opened on November 9, 2015.

“Jay Mahler is and was a man of hope, happiness, wellness, advocacy, integrity, devotion, commitment, recovery, healing, and wealth in health,” shared a former client from the Jay Mahler Recovery Center whom Mr. Mahler worked with on their recovery journey. “He remains not just in my heart, but the people he came in contact with through different counties, especially Alameda and Contra Costa counties, spreading the good news of advocacy, support, and recovery.”

bright and modern interior of the jay mahler recovery center.

The staff at Jay Mahler Recovery Center feel the same. They shared their collective appreciation in the following statement.

“Since 2015, Jay Mahler Crisis Residential Facility has been honored to be named after an individual who dedicated his life supporting consumers and peer-led initiatives in the local Bay Area. Mr. Jay Mahler envisioned a homelike environment that provided hope and benefited people experiencing mental health crisis in a voluntary setting. Jay Mahler Crisis Residential has worked to honor his legacy and fulfill his life’s passion by providing care and promoting support and mental health wellness services. On behalf of ɫ��ɫ Jay Mahler staff, we thank him for all he has contributed and the positive impact he has provided.”

From our homelike environments to our peer workforce, Mr. Mahler’s advocacy and work have had such a profound impact on the way ɫ��ɫ serves its members. We thank the ɫ��ɫ staff who are continuing to serve his legacy today, and we thank Alameda County for their commitment to the work Mr. Mahler was spearheading.

We are so honored to have known Mr. Mahler. He will be deeply missed.