Newsletter

We would like to highlight and bring attention to a joint hearing of the Assembly Health and Judiciary Committees focused on LPS that is scheduled for Wednesday, December 15th. Please see the article in the Advocacy/Policy/News section of this newsletter.

We would also like to highlight our dedicated volunteers who are part of CASRA's standing committees and support groups that help support our mission, and in turn, our member agencies. They are the members of our Public Policy and Conference committees, and those who participate in our Human Resources, Social Rehabilitation Facilities, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Wellness Center Support Groups. If you are from a CASRA member agency and would like more information and/or are interested in participating in one of our committees or groups, please contact joe@casra.org.

Our spotlight in this issue is on Turning Point Community Programs' CEO, Al Rowlett. Al was recently appointed by Governor Newsom to the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. Al has been the CEO since 2014, has been with Turning Point since 1981, and today provides leadership and guidance to over 40 programs in several Northern and Central California counties. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Ottawa University, a Master’s in Business Administration in Health Services Management from Golden Gate University and in Social Work from California State University (CSUS). He is also a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Congratulations, Al!

CASRA is a statewide organization of private, not-for-profit, public benefit corporations that serve clients of the California public mental health system.

Member agencies provide a variety of services that are designed to enhance the quality of life and community participation of youth, adults and older adults living with challenging mental health issues.

Read more

The California Association of Social Rehabilitation Agencies

Mailing Address:
3350 E. 7th Street, #509
Long Beach, CA 90804

Email: casra@casra.org

Phone: (562) 343-2621

To reach us: use our Contact Form

Our member agencies are continually looking for new employees or volunteers to join their workforce.

To see current openings and find out additional information about CASRA's partners, please click on the agency name.

Please note that the city listed for each organization is the headquarters location. Several CASRA member agencies serve multiple service areas and sites. Check each to learn more.

• Baker Places (PRC), San Francisco
• Bay Area Community Services, Oakland
• Bonita House, Oakland
• Buckelew Programs, Novato
• Caminar, San Mateo
• Community Action Marin, San Rafael
• Commuity Connections (Volunteers), Santa Cruz
• Community Solutions, Gilroy
• Conard House, San Francisco
• Consumers Self-Help Center, Sacramento
• Didi Hirsch CMHC, Culver City
• El Hogar, Sacramento
• Hope Cooperative (Formerly TLCS), Sacramento
• Interim, Inc., Monterey
• Mental Health Association of San Francisco, San Francisco
• Mental Wellness Center, Santa Barbara
• Momentum for Health, San Jose
• NVCCS - Iversen Center, Chico
• Pride Industries, Roseville
• Progress Foundation, San Francisco
• Project Return Peer Support Network, Huntington Park
• San Fernando Valley CMHC, Van Nuys
• Transitions - MHA, San Luis Obispo
• Turning Point Community Programs, Sacramento
• Turning Point of Central CA - Hope House, Madera
• Visions Unlimited, Sacramento
• Yolo Community Care Continuum, Woodland

A benefit of membership in CASRA is receiving 4 hours of training for your staff. Check out our list of offerings.

Coming Next Wednesday!

Register now!

Laugh Your Way through the Holidays:
Taking Care of Yourself
While Taking Care of Others

Presented by Anna Lubarov, PSS, ITE
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Pacific Time

The Holiday Season is upon us, and with it - holiday stress.
Join us to talk about ways to use laughter and humor to lighten the holiday mood, support your program participants and take care of yourself, while taking care of others.

Free Event

Register Here

California Assembly Hearing on Lanterman-Petris-Short – Make Your Voice Heard!

The Assembly Health and Judiciary Committees are scheduled to hold a joint hearing focused on the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS) on Wednesday, December 15th. CASRA is requesting CASRA member organizations and like-minded organizations/individuals to call into the hearing to express opposition to the relaxation/expansion of civil commitment criteria for WIC 5150/5250 holds and LPS conservatorships. Read More

How does involuntary mental-health treatment work, and what rights do patients have?

From LAtimes
By Ada Tseng, Claire Hannah Collins - October 4, 2021

If you struggle with mental illness, you — like everyone — have the right to make decisions about your own medical care.

But often, there’s fear, anxiety and stigma around the decisions people with serious mental health challenges make — especially if they’ve been placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold.

Could you make good choices? And even if you choose something your family, friends or medical providers don’t agree with, is it ultimately better that it’s your own choice?

These can be complicated questions. Read More

A public mental health model in Italy earns global praise. Now it faces its demise

From NPR, Morning Edition
Sylvia Poggioli - November 24, 2021

TRIESTE, Italy — An old mental hospital sits in Trieste's San Giovanni Park alongside a large rose garden that stretches up a hill over the city. The facility closed over 40 years ago, but its ocher pavilions are filled with activity.

In one building, Radio Fragola (Strawberry Radio) broadcasts news and public services information. Next door is Il Posto delle Fragole (Strawberry Patch), a café and meeting point. (Their names are a nod to Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries film.) Down the hall, workers are busy sewing ties, bags and clothing.

Helping staff these operations, as well as cafés, museums, libraries and other workplaces throughout the city, are people with mental illnesses who belong to a social cooperative called La Collina (the Hill). Read More

If you or someone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, there are resources available to provide free and confidential support. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or Teen Line at 1-800-TLC-TEEN or The Trevor Project at 1-866-488-7386 for LGBTQ young people.

"I must fight in the open."

Clifford Beers