8 AM - Registration Open

8:30 AM-12:00 PM - Cross System TAY Coordinators/Mentors Pre-Conference, Nautilus

8:30 AM-12:00 PM - Parent Pre-Conference, Fred Farr

8:30 AM-12:00 PM - Provider/Agency Pre-Conference, Merrill Hall

8:30 AM-12:00 PM - Youth Pre-Conference, Heather

9:00 AM-12:00 PM - Education Pre-Conference, Scripps

Members of the County Behavioral Health Directors’ Association of California’s (CBHDA) Children’s System of Care (CSOC) Committee will hold their monthly meeting at CMHACY. The meeting will take place on May 15th, 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm at the Woodlands North Dining Room. 

If you have purchased a meal-plan with Asilomar, there is no cost. If you are staying off-grounds and have no meal plan at Asilomar, please pay the $25 lunch fee online, or bring a check for $25.

All attendees must RSVP HERE.

Materials for the meeting will be e-mailed to the committee prior to the meeting, materials will be printed by CBHDA. If you have any questions about the lunch please contact Cecily Hendricks at Info@CMHACY.org. If you have questions about the CBHDA CSOC Meeting please contact Heather Anders at handers@cbhda.org.

2PM—Conference Opens
2:15PM—Helping People Heal in their CommunitiesRaul Almazar, Senior Public Health AdvisorNASMHPD’s Center for Innovations in Trauma-Informed Approaches

Most of us and the people we serve live in communities filled with strife and suffering from inequities and disparities. Trauma-informed and trauma responsive approaches help people heal from the effects of trauma, build resilience as well as address preventive measures to mitigate childhood adversity. This session will highlight what many communities across the country are doing to help their communities heal and become resilient.

To learn more about Raul, please read his Bio here.

3:30PM—Youth & Parent Panel

• Karli Joes, Youth, Stanford You Solutions
• Jenna Walkingstick, Youth, River Oak Center for Children
• Jennifer Heck, Parent, Stanford Youth Solutions
• Thomisha Wallace, Youth Moderator, Stanford Youth Solutions
• Laura Stillmunkes, Parent Moderator, Capital Adoptive Families Alliance

This panel presentation will represent the thoughts and ideas of both youth and parents on gaps in service during childhood life transitions. For example, when a young toddler, just turning 3, transitions from home, or from an Early Start Program, into a pre-school program. There may be gaps if the toddler is displaying behavioral difficulties. There are gaps in supports for a 5 year old that is not ready to enter kindergarten, or when a transition age youth, sixteen to twenty-four, is no longer receiving children’s services but has not yet entered the adult system. Parents and youth will discuss how these gaps in services during transitions affect them, and ideas they have to mitigate the gaps in service.

5:30PM—Welcome Dinner – SOLD OUT!
7:00PM—Gift Card Raffle: Two $100 Amazon Gift Cards, Merrill Hall

Arrive on time (7:00PM sharp!) for a chance to win a $100 Amazon gift card. Visit our sponsors in the Surf and Sand meeting room to receive an additional raffle ticket to win another $100 Amazon gift card Wednesday at 7PM in Merrill Hall!

7:10PM—2019 CMHACY Awards, Merrill Hall

Jim Preis Advocate of the Year Awardee

Melinda Bird
Disability Rights California

Melinda Bird is Litigation Counsel for Disability Rights California. She has won more than a dozen reported state and federal decisions over her career but her most important cases were co-counseled with Jim Preis. She began working with Jim more than twenty-five years ago, when they met Elizabeth Quinones, a teen-ager who had spent more than half of her life in locked mental institutions and was afraid she would remain at Metropolitan State Hospital forever. Along with a team of dedicated attorneys, Jim and Melinda filed a lawsuit in federal court on Elizabeth’s behalf – Emily Q. v. Bonta – that eventually led to Medi-Cal coverage of Therapeutic Behavioral Services (TBS). Melinda and Jim also joined with other advocates to a file a sister case, Katie A. v. Bonta, which resulted in Medi-Cal coverage of wraparound services. Melinda continues to work on special education issues, improved services to youth with mental health needs in juvenile halls, and implementation of Katie A services in Los Angeles County. Most importantly, Elizabeth Quinones was finally able to leave the state hospital in 2003 and moved to an apartment in the community, using both TBS and supported living services.

7:15PM—Caring for Our Collective Circle of Wellness, Merrill Hall

Dr. Jaiya JohnSoul Water Rising

Dr. Jaiya John’s compassionate keynote message encourages us to reflect on how our own wellness as practitioners and systems relates to our capacity to support and serve the wellness of our youth. This is a heart and soul message of renewal, empowerment, healing, and hopefulness.

To learn more about Dr. Jaiya, please read his Bio here.

8:30 PM – Wine and Cheese Reception and Poster Session, Fred Farr

A reception for attendees to meet the speakers, other conference participants, and view our poster presentations.