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BHRS: About Mental Health Services

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The Mental Health Services Division provides a broad range of services to people with mental illness in the county. Priority populations include seriously mentally ill adults and children, older adults at risk of institutionalization, children in special education or at risk of out-of-home placement, and people of any age in major crisis. The division is responsible for providing needed mental health services to all individuals who are eligible for Medi-Cal under a managed care plan called the Mental Health Plan (MHP). The division serves over 10,000 clients through outpatient service centers in Daly City, San Mateo, the Coastside, Redwood City and East Palo Alto, in school-based locations, and through a network of community agencies and independent providers. These  county and community resources provide outpatient services, residential treatment, rehabilitation and other services for adults and children. The division operates the Cordilleras Mental Health Center, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility in Redwood City, through a contract with Telecare Corporation. All services are aimed at helping individuals with mental illness maintain their independence and helping children with serious emotional problems become educated and stay with their families. The division is advised by the Mental Health Board. San Mateo County Mental Health Services Vision, Mission, Values Statement VISION Individuals and families have healthy, hopeful lives in welcoming communities. MISSION Provide mental health services and supports that value diversity and promote wellness, resilience, and recovery so that all San Mateo County residents can live fully as contributing and successful individuals and members of their families and communities. VALUES Welcoming partnerships with consumers, families, agencies, and communities to promote resilience and recovery. Honoring the voices, strengths, and leadership of consumers and families. Providing culturally and linguistically proficient services through community engagement and a diverse workforce, inclusive of consumers and family members. Supporting the emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being of people and their families in healthy communities. Advocating and educating to eliminate stigma, discrimination and health disparities. Providing prevention and early intervention services to promote well-being and to reduce the human and social costs of disability. Valuing and supporting employees and other providers for their skills, knowledge, abilities, and commitment. Insuring clinical and service excellence through use of evidence-based and promising practices. Promoting learning through training and development of staff, providers, and consumers and family members. Assuring results and accountability for wise and cost effective use of resources. CURRENT STRATEGIES: Implement culturally appropriate outreach, welcoming, and engagement strategies that reach unserved/underserved populations and communities. Address the needs of individuals and families with complex problems, including co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Manage resources through matching needs with level and intensity of services (balance the gap between mental health needs and resources). Promote use of best practice models of care with attention to practices that work with diverse populations. Provide an efficient and effective infrastructure, including state of the art information technology.   CORE SERVICE MANDATES Our mandate as San Mateo County's public Mental Health Plan is to assure access to necessary services to children and youth with serious emotional disturbances (SED) including SED special education youth, to adults and older adults with serious mental illness/psychiatric disability and to Medi-Cal beneficiaries, Health Plan of San Mateo Healthy Families, Healthy Kids, and CareAdvantage members.  We partner with other County and community agencies to provide crisis intervention and a mental health response to critical community incidents and disasters. Revised 7/07