John Boyd: Leadership Thoughts to Share

Our 36th annual conference included an increasing number of attendees associated with commercial insurance and hospital systems. One such attendee was John Boyd, System Executive Mental Health. CEO, Sutter Solano Medical Center & Sutter Center for Psychiatry. When discussing what he took away from the conference, Dr. Boyd stated, “I believe we need to slow…

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2016 CMHACY Conference Picture Contest Results

Many of you who attended our conference posted photos on the conference App. By the end of the conference 279 photos were posted and entered into our first annual photo contest. The CMHACY new social media/web intern, Jeremiah McWright, was assigned the difficult task of choosing the winners of the photo contest. Here are the…

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2016 CMHACY Conference Highlights

Since 1980 CMHACY has hosted an annual meeting at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California.  Unique in the country and attended by as many as 600 stakeholders – parents, youth, providers, legal advocates, school representatives, County agency leaders, state department officials, and legislative staff – the conference has provided a forum for policy development,…

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Children’s Mental Health Crisis Services

The topic of mental health crisis services specific to children and families has received increased attention throughout the state. In January 2015, a consortium of mental health advocacy organizations issued a white paper titled “Kids in Crisis: California’s Failure to Provide Appropriate Services for Youth Experiencing a Mental Health Crisis.” This paper served to spotlight…

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CMHACY Poster Sessions and Wine and Cheese Reception

Wednesday Evening 8:15 Fred Farr and Kiln This year we have added “poster sessions” to our conference agenda. Poster sessions allow individuals and groups to present their research, policy and practice ideas in a more informal setting than could be done in a workshop session. The “poster” is a display of the ideas. Those involved…

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2016 Advocate of the Year

Monica Nepomuceno Monica Nepomuceno works at the California Department of Education (CDE) as an Education Programs Consultant (EPC) with the Educational Options, Student Support and American Indian Education Office. Monica has been the EPC overseeing the Mental Health Services Program at CDE since 2009. Under this program she manages a statewide project that includes the…

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2016 Journalist of the Year

Daniel Heimpel Daniel Heimpel is an award-winning journalist, the founder of a national non-profit organization, Fostering Media Connections, dedicated to improving the lives of children through solution-based journalism, and teaches graduate students of public policy, social work and journalism on how to use media to drive social change. Daniel has written and produced stories about…

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CMHACY Conference Exhibitors: National Accrediting Organizations

The 2016 CMHACY conference will highlight topics of special interest to those impacted by the child welfare Continuum of Care Reform (AB403). In addition to a number of relevant pre-conference and workshop sessions, representatives from the California approved national accrediting organizations will exhibit their programs and be available throughout the conference to discuss topics related…

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2016 Promising Program of the Year

National Alliance on Mental Illness on Campus High School NAMI on Campus clubs work to end the stigma that makes it hard for students to talk about mental health and get the help they need. Clubs hold creative meetings, and hold innovative awareness events. NAMI on Campus High School clubs are student-led, student-run mental health…

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2016 Exemplary Program of the Year

Desert Mountain Children’s Center The Desert/Mountain Children’s Center (DMCC) is a counseling center designed to meet the therapeutic needs of infants, children and youth, birth to 22 years of age. The DMCC provides screening, psychological assessment, mental health treatment planning and mental health treatment services DMCC’s mission is “The Relentless Pursuit of Whatever Works in…

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