March 25, 2020
Dear Friends,
I hope you are faring well and staying healthy during this time. As a public health professional, I want to add my voice of support to our public health leaders who are communicating the importance of sheltering at home and other strict containment measures. The goal of these measures is to “flatten the curve” so that the number of people needing acute medical care does not exceed our healthcare systems’ capacity to provide that critical care.
I appreciate your ongoing support of Caminar and all the recent messages of encouragement I’ve received. Given the positive response, I will continue to provide updates on Caminar’s response to the COVID-19 situation, as well as resources for you to protect your own mental health in these uncertain times.
As you know, all of us at Caminar and our divisions provide essential behavioral health services to our most vulnerable neighbors. We are working every day for our community, and are evolving our processes and protocols as the current public health situation warrants.
We have daily coronavirus task force meetings and constant communications throughout the organization. In the last couple of weeks, we quickly shifted to telehealth services, using email, the phone, or videoconferencing, for the majority of our client meetings. Some clients still do require an in-person meeting, and our offices and residential facilities have strict health screening protocols in place for all employees and clients each time they enter a Caminar property. Our team continues to provide best-in-class, compassionate, and science-based support to our clients.
While this is a scary time, I am heartened hearing how our clients are using coping skills to manage their conditions. A clinician from our Family & Children Services of Silicon Valley division recently shared:
“I’ve had a few clients who are finding this period of distress as teaching them to ‘be’ with themselves and learning patience. Slowing down has been new for them, and it is also teaching them to seek ways to ground themselves. Overall, it has been a period of getting to ‘know themselves’ and being ‘okay’ in the present moment. There’s a lot of gratitude for the opportunity to become centered.”
I do hope you can find a way to become “okay” in the present moment, as well. I want to remind you to continue to look after your own mental health and the mental health of your loved ones. The following are several resources that may be helpful as you navigate our current situation.
General Coronavirus Resources
California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response: a comprehensive website with resources and information for all Californians
California Local Information: links to coronavirus information for each California county
CDC Coronavirus Information: detailed information, resources, and updates from the CDC
Mental Health Tips
Caminar Facebook and Twitter: regular posts about resources for managing stress
Virus Anxiety: resources for anxiety and your mental health in a global climate of uncertainty
Mental Health Crisis Hotlines
Butte County Crisis Hotline
1-800-334-6622
San Francisco County Crisis Hotline
1-415-781-0500 or 1-800-273-8255
San Mateo County Crisis Hotline
1-650-579-0350
Santa Clara County Crisis Hotline
1-855-278-4204
Solano County Crisis Hotline
1-707-428-1131
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
1-800-273-8255
Crisis Text Line
Text “HOME” to 741741
Please stay healthy and don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions. Our team can be reached at 1-650-372-4080 or info@caminar.org.
Most sincerely,
Mark Cloutier, MPP, MPH
Chief Executive Officer
